Wants & Desires
by Gramnegative
Summary: After the Events of El Baile de le muerte. Eda finally gets pushed past her limits and decides that there are things in Roanapur she needs. Eda and Rock, Revy and Rock
1. Pity

Disclaimer: All characters are Rei's property.

* * *

The view out of her window onto the sea was beautiful today. The late afternoon sun peeked through a break in the endless monsoon rain clouds to anoint the stretch of blue waters with honeyed light. In another universe, she might have looked forward to getting up. Today, however, promised to be another Roanapur-style pain in the ass.

Three years in this cesspool should have been considered above and beyond for any agent, but her third request for reassignment had been turned down. At least this time Levencroft had acknowledged it personally rather than letting some flunky send her the standard bureaucratic reply. Still, he made it clear: 'No other agent could possibly be inserted into these operations without arousing suspicion.'

As she threw back the thin linen sheet she slept under, she could barely contain her rage. Bullshit, she thought. No other agent would be stupid enough to accept this assignment, but did they expect her to stay here forever? Was she being punished for doing too good a job?

As she moved slowly and painfully (damn that bastard Gustavo) into the shower, she had to question why she kept doing this.

All of her life she had believed in doing the right thing. That there was no higher calling than serving God and Country. Yet each day her service required her to do things that violated the core of what she was trying to protect. She wondered how much longer she could stand on the edge of this abyss without falling in.

Her training as an agent warned her that even considering questions like this could be dangerous. She had to compartmentalize her emotions. Only by creating walls that separated who she really was from her cover persona could she successfully blend in.

Even better from her trainer's standpoint, little things like morals and ethics faded away. Assassination, torture, lying, suppressing fear, all became routine when she segregated her job from herself.

So far, the system had worked beautifully. Eda had been very effective during her first two years in Roanapur. She told herself that burying her idealism was simply a necessary evil. Lately, however, her mind was fraying. Parts of herself she had buried for this assignment were resurfacing at the worst possible times. Standing in a dark alley, aiming her Glock at two twelve-year-old children, had frozen her. Revy had been shocked when Eda hesitated. From the point of view of one of Roanapur's natives, the choice was obvious. Kill the little shits, take their money, and then collect Balalaika's reward.

But Eda's conscience had chosen that moment to try and reassert itself.

That hesitation almost killed her. What happened just a few moments later still sent shards of fear through her. Standing there while Gretel disarmed her, she was sure she was going to die. Then, when Gretel touched her like that, Eda realized that there might be worse things than death. She had seen the twin's file and knew what they were capable of doing. Thankfully, they needed a way of escape more than they needed a new toy.

The next day Eda had spent hours in the shower, washing over and over again. Rico still complained about her hogging all the hot water.

Her other persona, Ms. Glock 17 and top enforcer of the Rip-Off Church, would never have made that mistake. Hell, she would have enjoyed killing the twins, and she wouldn't have hesitated before killing that idiot Russell, the trouble shooter for Don Geroramo.

Worse, she suspected that another part of her was getting bored with these situations. Running guns, chasing down psychopaths for little rewards, sleeping with the scum of the earth to gain tiny nuggets of intel. What a waste of her talents. She should be moving into the big leagues with people like Balalaika and Chang. Why didn't she see that?

For a brief second, Eda had to remind herself; she was a deep cover agent for the US of A, not an amoral killer trying to climb the criminal ranks.

The hot spray of the shower felt good. She grabbed the roughest sponge she had, and once again tried to rub off the filth she felt. Not that it worked any better this time than the last. No amount of scrubbing could make her forget the things that had been done to her or the things she herself did. It wouldn't even be enough to make her forget the feeling of Gustavo's hands on her body last night. That prick was so rough that she thought her back might be sprained. Eda wondered if he realized how revolting he was with his cigar stained breath and foul body odor. Did he realize the cologne she gave him was not a gift, but a way for her to make the time more bearable?

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a soft cotton towel, she sat in front of the mirror. Watching herself as she tried to comb tangles from her hair did nothing to make her feel better. The black bruises Gustavo had left on her neck and shoulder reminded her bitterly of how much she hated parts of this job.

Eda looked at her watch. Shit, she thought, I have to meet Revy in another hour.

She didn't always care for her time with Revy: too much alcohol and too little intelligent conversation. Revy was like a child---a beautiful, not particularly bright, but infinitely dangerous child. Still, after three years, she was the closest thing to a friend Eda had in Roanapur, not because Revy was particularly nice or empathetic, but because her motivations were easy to understand. Revy wanted only money and power. It allowed Eda to relax around her. That and the fact she was too stupid to suspect who Eda really was. Revy might be a genius when it came to gunfights, but outside that little world, she was remarkably simple.

Eda only hoped Revy had finally banged Rock so she didn't have to listen to another of her pathetic rants about him

Rock's name triggered a completely different train of thought. Educated, well spoken, smart and clean, he was a strange breed in Roanapur. Still, there was a darkness in him that fascinated her cover persona. From what she had seen, he had real guts despite being unwilling to carry a gun. He had already earned the respect of both Balalaika and Chang, and no chicken shit boy scout could do that.

Maybe that was why Revy had fallen for him in a big way.

Rock, on the other hand, was oblivious, which was good since hooking up with Revy would probably be the end for him. Eda could imagine him saying "Revy, why don't you wear a dress once in awhile?" and then Two Hands would drill him a new asshole in the middle of his forehead.

Why couldn't Revy see that she (and everyone else) would be better off is she hooked up with one of the Triad punks? Maybe Tommy Gui or better yet, that freak Shin Shin, she thought, smiling to herself.

It wasn't long after Rock arrived that Revy started showing up at the Chapel, ostensibly to play cards, but Eda was sure that what Revy really wanted was reassurance. As far as she could tell, Revy had no idea how to handle a relationship with a man. Whatever had fucked her up this much must have been pretty bad. Knowing that made Eda feel something akin to sympathy for her. However, Revy would not react well to an emotion like pity, so Eda hid by teasing her.

But even teasing had its dangers. Eda had almost pushed it too far last time, and Revy's reaction had been off the charts. For a second, Eda really thought that Revy would shoot her. She had caught Revy staring at Rock when she thought no one was looking in the Yellow Flag. Giving into temptation, Eda had moved behind Rock's bar stool and ran her hand playfully through his hair. Then she leaned forward and rubbed her breasts against his back while whispering into his ear how he needed a real woman. Rock was looking at Revy, frozen like a man staring into the eyes of a cobra. Eda could even feel his heart pounding, so she backed off quickly, laughing at the situation. Fortunately, Revy's common sense kicked in, and she resorted to insults instead of shooting.

Not that Revy particularly frightened Eda. The Ms. Glock part of her had already considered several ways she could dispose of Revy if she became unmanageable. Still, Revy was a good source of intel and an occasional ally, so why jeopardize that? Besides, sometimes it was nice to play cards, drink bourbon, and talk about life.

As she pulled the nun's habit over her head she ran through everything she had to deal with today, little of it good.

Langley had sent word about more Chinese Third Bureau activity in Roanapur and demanded updates on two ongoing operations. Yolanda wanted her help in expediting a major arms shipment, and Levencroft wanted her to_ exploit_ her relationship with Gustavo for more intel on the Cartel.

_Exploit_, she thought. What a wonderful euphemism for _fuck senseless until he tells you anything you want to know_.

She was sure 007 never had to put up with this shit.

All of her life, Eda had despised women who were too weak or too stupid to protect themselves. The cheap hookers or gangbanger chicks who could only survive by passing their bodies around. The idea of behaving like them disgusted her, and there she was-- putting on a tight skirts and sleeping with scum to get information. Was she really any better?

All such thoughts were driven out of her head as she entered the Chapel.

"Eda you worthless bitch," Revy yelled. "I hope you brought the cards this time."

"Shut the fuck up Two Hands," Eda replied pulling back a chair. "You better have the bourbon. You're a piss poor loser when you're sober."

………………………..

Four hours and two fifths later, Eda was feeling relaxed for the first time in days. The warmth of the bourbon sat pleasantly in her stomach, and her shoulders no longer felt like knotted steel wire. She also had the latest intel on what the Lagoon Company had been doing for the last few weeks. Revy wasn't gullible enough to share the specifics. If she was, Chang, Balalaika or someone else would have made sure her bullet ridden corpse was left in plain sight as an example to others. Still, Eda had been trained by some of the best, and she was an excellent analyst. She could to put even small pieces together into a complete picture of what went on in Roanapur.

Unusually, Revy was nearly $50 ahead and Eda needed to start on other work, including preparing for her 'session' tonight with Gustavo.

"That's enough, bitch," she laughed, folding her hand. "For once, quit while you're ahead."

Surprisingly, Revy didn't complain.

"What's the matter, Eda?" she said smiling, throwing back another shot. "Got the itch to go bang some slag? Why don't you layoff and go out with us tonight? Rock says he has something special planned."

Eda almost choked on her last sip of bourbon. "Special," she gasped. "What, is he finally desperate enough to give you a shot?"

Revy's face reddened. "Back off bitch," she snapped, her gloved hands slamming into the hardwood table.

"Easy, easy, Two Hands, just kidding. So what's this special plan of Rock's?"

"He wants to take all of us to the late show at the Chiang Mai. It's called _Two Heroes,_" Revy replied.

For a second, Eda considered teasing Revy further and decided against it, but something about the idea of Rock taking Revy to the movies bothered her. Instead, Eda settled for a mild jab. "So is this one of the 'picaresque' movies that Rock likes?"

"None of that crap," Revy replied enthusiastically, missing Eda's sarcasm. "This is a real HK kickass gunfight with Chow Yun-Fat."

Eda had no idea who Chow Yun-whatever was, nor did she want to encourage Revy's enthusiasm, so she stood up and tried to end the conversation quickly. "No can do, Gustavo is taking me out tonight."

Revy leaned back in her chair and made the motion of gagging herself with two fingers. "Damn Eda, I thought even you had better taste than that."

Eda felt a sudden burst of anger twist inside her, "Just take the money and get the hell out of here. I've got better things to do than waste time with a dumb fuck shooter like you."

For just a moment, something like hurt flashed in Revy's eyes and Eda wondered if she had gone too far. Despite their constant sparring, Eda never felt the need to really hurt Revy.

Revy's face returned to its normal frowning mask,

"Screw you bitch," she replied, quickly stuffing her winnings into denim shorts. She stormed out of the Chapel flipping Eda a one finger salute as she went.


	2. Changes

Serious thanks to Unkeptsecret for her great editorial help, encouragement and inspiration.

* * *

An hour later Eda had changed into skin tight black leather pants and a red blouse with only one button. Just the thing for dinner with Gustavo. She thought about putting on makeup but decided it wasn't worth the time. Gustavo's eyes would never make it up to her face anyway.

Gustavo and his crew pulled up outside the church in a white stretch limo. One of his body guards jumped out and opened the door for her.

"Hey baby, come on in," Gustavo said leering. She slid across the luxurious leather seats to sit next him, greeting him with a lingering kiss.

As she made herself comfortable in the huge limo, Eda smiled at the crass display of wealth and power. Gustavo's suit was handmade silk, and he already had stains on it. The guards were wearing similar suits and enough jewelry to fill a local shop. They all carried big flashy .44's or 45's, chrome plated, one even had a MAC 10. Based on past information about how the Cartel's gunmen did against professionals like Balalaika's commandos, they weren't very effective despite the fire power. Their philosophy was spray and pray rather than discipline and accuracy. In this Eda agreed with Revy: it's not the size of the weapon, it's how you use it.

The Cartel wanted to intimidate and impress people with a big show. Eda thought it was pitiful really, but to her irritation, her cover personality actually enjoyed it.

The drive to the restaurant was surprisingly relaxed. Gustavo had made a few insinuating comments about her clothes, but with two of his body guards sitting facing them three feet away, Eda was in no mood to encourage him.

The Chinese restaurant was one of Eda's favorites. At least Gustavo was trying to do something right by her. The spicy noodles and good beer helped her regain some of the buzz she had gotten drinking bourbon with Revy. Perhaps this night might be tolerable after all.

"So Eda," Gustavo asked. "How are things going at the Church? That bitch Yolanda still trying to jack up her prices?"

"Nothing I can't handle, lover," Eda smiled. "And don't worry, I'll make sure you get your shipments just like we agreed." As she spoke, she used her foot to massage his leg under the table.

"That's the way I like it babe," he grinned as he relaxed in his chair.

"So Gustavo," she said leaning forward, bringing her face closer to his. "You know how hard it was for me to get those Russian anti-aircraft missiles included. Yolanda doesn't like dealing in them. Are you gonna give this girl a break for all of her hard work?"

"Of course, babe. You know I always take care of my friends. I have something for you back at my place." He winked.

Eda felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. She knew exactly what Gustavo intended to give her back at his place, but she ruthlessly suppressed her feelings and instead stroked his hand.

"Love," she smiled. "You know I can hardly wait. But, Yolanda keeps wanting to know why you need those missiles. She's afraid of the Americans finding out."

The smile disappeared from his face. "Tell that bitch to be happy with the money we give her. She sticks her nose too far in this, and I'll cut it off."

Eda leaned close, gently kissing his ear, desperate to calm him down. "Of course baby," she whispered. "Please don't get angry at me. I understand that bosses like you can't be bothered with details. I am just trying to help."

Gustavo relaxed a little. "It's ok, babe. The Columbian Army is using helicopters those fucking Gringos up North gave them. These FARC bastards are a pain in the ass, but we need them. We help them level the playing field and they have to deal product on our terms. You just make sure we get what we need, understand?"

"Whatever you say lover," She said as her hand caressed his thigh.

This information wasn't a surprise to Eda, but it helped confirm what the CIA already suspected. She wondered how the FARC would react when about a third of the missiles shipped blew up at launch, splattering the operators. Yolanda had already agreed to blame it on crappy Russian manufacturing.

Just as they were preparing to leave, Gustavo reached for Eda's hand and said, "Babe, you know my real gift is waiting for you at home, but here is a little sign of my appreciation." He brought a silver necklace out of his pocket. At the end dangled a huge emerald.

"We confiscated this as _taxes_ from one of the local shops. I thought you might like it."

"It's beautiful," she said putting it on. Part of her mind wondered how much she could get for it at a local fence while the other was revolted. She felt like a whore accepting her payment up front, which is probably exactly how Gustavo thought of it. She told herself she would get rid of it at the first opportunity.

On the drive back to his place things changed. Gustavo had already paid for her services, so he decided to start collecting early. Even with his two bodyguards facing them, Gustavo aggressively kissed her and ran one hand up her leather clad thigh.

Eda expected this kind of forceful behavior from him, but not like this, right in front of his men.

"Hey baby, ease up, we aren't even at your place yet. Why don't I get you another drink," she said trying to pull away from him and reach the bar in the limo.

His efforts at groping her continued unabated. "Don't worry _puta_, they won't tell anybody. Besides, my men need to know my every move," he said shoving her back into the seat.

Eda felt like she was wrestling with a python. His rough hands were everywhere, inside her shirt, trying to unbutton her pants. She was fighting to stay calm, trying to focus on the mission, but it was getting harder and harder.

As Gustavo was kissing her neck she looked and saw one of his guards staring at her, laughing quietly. He was speaking in whispers to the other guard. She only caught a few of the words, but one of them was _ganas_ and the other one was _concha_.

Rather than arousing the sense of disgust and bitterness she had felt earlier, the words lit a fire inside Eda. For once, she was actually happy to step aside and let Ms. Glock take over.

That side of her knew she had to handle this perfectly. Suppressing her desire to simply murder this pig and his guards, she focused instead on controlling them. She wouldn't be the victim here; Gustavo would learn he had to show her the proper respect from now on.

For a moment, she acted like she was enjoying his attentions. Rotating slowly in the back seat, she threw one leg over his, straddling him. This forced him to move his hands behind her back, which he took advantage of to fondle her ass.

Let him, she thought. The more he concentrates on that, the less chance he will realize what I'm really doing.

She kissed him passionately. As he focused on her kisses and her body, she slowly slid his pistol out of his shoulder rig. She couldn't reach for her own piece without the guards noticing, but like this her body blocked their view of Gustavo's pistol. He was oblivious right up until she jammed the barrel under his jaw and flipped off the safety.

"Relax lover," she whispered sweetly into his ear. "I don't plan on killing you. But if you think I am going to put on some kind of show for you and your perverted friends, you are in some serious shit."

"Baby..." he started, before she jabbed the barrel deeper into his throat silencing him.

"Quiet," she replied, grinding her hips into his. "You're going to tell the driver to let me off near the Yellow Flag. Then you'll explain to your men that something came up you have to take care of, understand?"

Gustavo's face turned red and his lips curled in a silent snarl. He was pissed alright, but Eda pushed the barrel even harder under his chin, making it clear she would blow his head off if he tried anything. Rather than risk dying, he nodded his head in assent.

As they continued to drive, Eda made a game of it. She continued to kiss him deeply and move her body as tightly as she could against him. She did everything in her power to keep him aroused, then as soon as he seemed to be enjoying it, she would push the pistol a little harder under his chin, reminding him who was in charge.

As they neared the Yellow Flag, Eda slipped his pistol back into his holster and, speaking loud enough for the guards to hear, declared, "Baby, I am so sorry to hear that. Why didn't you tell me you had talk to the Jefe tonight? You can just drop me off here, but next time give a girl a little warning."

Through gritted teeth Gustavo told the driver, "Jose, pull over by the next light."

The guards seemed puzzled, but not worried. Eda slipped off Gustavo's lap, but stayed cuddled up to him, one hand close to her Glock.

As they stopped at the light, one of the guards opened up the door by Eda and she moved smoothly out of the car. "Goodnight lover, give me a call soon," she said grinning wickedly.

Gustavo said nothing, but looked like he was chewing on something unpleasant.

Before the car door closed, Ms. Glock blew him one last kiss and walked away laughing. She thought about the emerald she was wearing. Maybe instead of fencing it, she should keep it as a reminder of tonight.

The four observers in the car trailing them saw this as the opportunity they had been waiting for.


	3. Progress

After the card game, Revy stalked out of the Chapel.

"Fuck that bitch," Revy said out loud. How dare Eda call her a damn shooter. She was a _gunman_; shooters were just dumb fuck, out-of-control killers. She told herself that she had better things to do than hang out with that trashy nun.

The clouds hung low in the sky, and rain splattered against the streets as Revy stalked toward Benny's car. The monsoons had arrived on time, cooling things off, but the air felt thick enough to suffocate.

Revy had a good hour to waste before she had any plans. The four members of the Lagoon crew were headed to the movie that night. Rock's invitation had been a surprise, but she found herself answering yes before she could even think about it.

At least the Chiang Mai had air conditioning. That alone made it worth the price of admission. Besides, Chow Yun-Fat was one of her favorites. Her eagerness to go had nothing to do with Rock inviting her.

Yeah, right.

She jumped into the Dodge, happy to get out of the rain. To her discomfort, even the leather felt damp and sticky. As soon as she started the engine, she stomped the gas pedal, eager to lose herself in the power and acceleration.

As Revy weaved through Roanapur's typical traffic, she wondered how the fuck Rock got into her head so often. He was just some lame ass ex-salary man. If she wasn't around to save him, he would have been buried in some muddy hole two years ago.

Still, in that time he had impressed her more than once with his courage, even though he was still too much of a pussy to carry a gun. Ever since Rock had given her his pathetic 'We all suffer' speech, even the urge to put a bullet in his head had passed. Now, whenever he asked for help or got his ass in a bind, she couldn't stop herself from charging in like the cavalry.

Revy knew her balance was off. That worried her because balance was critical to a gunman. Without it, you made bad decisions that could get you killed. Without it, your aim was never quite right.

She blew through the last traffic light before the docks, smiling at the sound of another car's squealing tires as it swerved to avoid her. She slammed on her own brakes and skidded into an open spot next to the dock. She turned off the engine to linger in the car for a moment before braving the rain. Leaning back into the car seat and closing her eyes she tried to get Rock out of her head. In frustration she kneaded her temples, but it didn't work. Revy found herself envisioning the day that she had finished off Luak's little fleet. That day had changed it all for her. She remembered the exhilarating feeling of putting the last 40mm grenade into Luak's own boat, watching it break apart into burning pieces while the last of her enemies dove into the water, trying to put out the flames that were engulfing them. That was the moment she had looked up and there was Rock, staring at her like she was some kind of movie star.

For a second, everything she knew ground to a halt. Nobody had ever looked at her like that. Nobody had ever made her feel that special, not even Chang. Sure, everyone knew she was one of the best gunmen around, but that look was something different.

It was a drug, an addiction, and it scared the shit out of her because she needed it, more every day. Every time she saw it on his face since that first moment, she didn't know whether to shoot him to get herself clear or beg for more.

Revy opened her eyes and pushed on the door of the car. The rain smacked at her shoulders before she could step into the shelter of the stairway to their office. She paused long enough to light a cigarette, inhaling deeply, and then quickly climbed the stairs to the office. When she opened the door it was empty except for Dutch.

"Hey," she smiled, "What the fuck's up?"

"Bad news, that's what. Balalaika has an urgent job. I need to leave pronto," Dutch replied.

"Need help?" Revy asked hopefully.

"Not this time," Dutch said as he walked past her and swiped the car keys from her hand. "Benny and I should be able to take care of it. Why don't you and Rock go and have a drink for us."

Revy didn't like the way things were going, so she dogged Dutch out the door, suddenly desperate to avoid the evening she saw unfolding.

"Come on Dutch, you always need me," she called out plaintively.

"Not this time, Revy. Benny and I have it under control. See ya," Dutch called out over his shoulder. She could almost see the grin on his face. That bastard. Dutch seemed to enjoy watching Revy try to deal with her mixed feelings about Rock.

For a moment she stood there in the light rain, watching Dutch walk down the stairs. As soon as he got into the Dodge, Revy stomped out her cigarette and sprinted to her apartment door while her mind worked like mad to fix the situation. She certainly wasn't going to the movie alone with Rock. That would be too much like a….date, and she didn't want to explore that idea any further.

Maybe she could get out of here and over to the Yellow Flag. By the time Rock found her it would be too late to make the movie. She could tell him that she had forgotten. That wouldn't surprise Rock, and anyway, he would forgive her regardless.

She had to step around the various piles of her belongings, scattered haphazardly around the room. The clothes she was wearing were sodden from the rain and humidity. She needed to change quickly before she split. She tore through her drawers looking for something dry and clean, or at least dry. Finally, she found an old pair of Levi's under a pile of dirty sheets and then a light blue pullover hanging from the barrel of old M-14. She had been planning on using it for a cleaning rag, but it would do.

She slipped on a pair of sandals she had found buried in the back of her closet. She couldn't even remember when she got them, but her boots were too soaked to consider. Now prepared, she made for the door, but before she could touch the knob, a knock came from the other side.

Rock opened the door without preamble, and Revy froze in shock.

The Hawaiian shirt. He was finally wearing the goddamned beautiful shirt she bought him two years ago.

Revy quickly looked down at her feet and ran one hand through her damp hair.

"Hey, Revy. Are you ready," Rock asked.

"Yeah, I was just coming to get you," she lied, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Great, Dutch took the Dodge, but it isn't far and I brought umbrellas,'" Rock said smiling.

Revy grabbed proffered umbrella and pushed past Rock, brushing against his freshly pressed Hawaiian shirt. She couldn't let him see her confusion, so she did what she normally did-- charge ahead and make things up as she went along.

The fifteen minute walk to the Chiang Mai Theater was uneventful. The rains were still coming down steadily but light enough so that the streets weren't flooding.

Rock made a few attempts at conversation, but Revy either ignored them or gave curt answers that didn't invite replies. She felt a little bad about it when he finally took the hint and shut up for good. She could tell by his frown that he didn't know what he had done wrong. As she splashed through the street she could sympathize, she was confused herself.

Her bad vibes only got worse as they got closer to the theater. She tried to remember how you were supposed to behave on a date. Growing up, she had never been on that many, and the few she had been on hadn't gone well. Since the age of fifteen, she stopped going on dates, instead she went out to get drunk and maybe laid. That wasn't going to happen tonight.

She could admit it. She liked Rock, maybe more than liked, but no matter how she tried, she didn't really trust him. The few men she had ever trusted had either hurt her or left her.

If all Rock wanted was sex, she could have dealt with that. Hell, he walked in on her often enough when she had been wearing almost nothing, she was surprised he hadn't already done something. She had even tried to provoke him a few times, changing in front of him, stepping out of the shower with only a towel. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye she had thought about Rock's better parts. He was easy enough to look at and it's not like she would have minded if he made a move. She enjoyed a good fuck, but Rock would want something more. Then, once he realized what she really was, he'd run. The good ones always did.

Plus, it's not like she had a lot of great times at movies either. She knew how it worked. Men took women like her to movies because they wanted a blowjob during or to get laid after, but Rock wouldn't have invited Dutch and Benny if he was looking for that.

She just didn't know what he wanted and that made her uncomfortable.

By the time they got to the theater ,Revy's shoulders were knotted with tension and she was feeling downright angry. Why wouldn't Rock just act like a normal man around her? Why did he keep coming up with ways to surprise her?

When they arrived in front of the theater Rock suddenly turned to her and said, "Look Revy, do you want to see this movie or not?"

Revy stopped and stared into Rock's frowning face. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't even considered what he was thinking. His eyes were wholly focused on her, almost demanding. She pretended not to see that edge of hurt in his eyes. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I'm here, right? Of course I want to see the movie."

"Then what's wrong?" Rock said sounding a little frustrated. "What did I do to piss you off this time?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, dumbass." She grabbed him by his arm and dragged him into the show. "Come on! Let's fucking move it before we miss anything."

Sounding a little surprised but no longer frustrated, he answered, "Sure Revy, I'm right beside you."

For some reason, Rock's words made her relax a little bit. As she sat down in the rickety seats and ripped upholstery she tried to focus on the movie and ignore her anxious thoughts. Like most HK action flicks, the gunfights started immediately

At first, it didn't make much sense to Revy. Why would the hero give up a great job with the Triad to help some woman he hardly knew? Then, with each gunfight she tried to help Rock by pointing out the good and bad points.

"Did you see that?" Revy snarked, almost jumping out of her seat. "People don't act that way when you shoot'em in the gut. That is such complete bullshit."

Again, louder: "Damn, even I can't shoot like that. Who the hell wrote that script?"

Still more, jerking hard on Rock's arm to get his attention, "Shit, you never turn your back when someone goes down like that. You get close enough to double tap'em and make sure they're dead."

About two thirds through the movie Revy noticed Rock kept glancing around the theater with a worried look in his eyes. She decided to see what he was bothering him and noticed a woman a few seats over glaring in their direction.

"Hey asshole," Revy spat, coming out of her seat and putting one hand menacingly on a pistol. "What's your problem?"

Rock reached out and gently pulled her back into her seat. "It's ok. Let's just enjoy the movie."

For some reason he sounded really nervous, so Revy went along with him and focused on the screen as the next gunfight started.

By the time the credits were rolling, Revy was wondering why she had been so worried to begin with. Admittedly, the ending sucked because her hero died, but she had enjoyed most of it.

Rock kept tugging on her arm and seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

They walked out, kicking through the detritus of empty candy wrappers and soda cans, and Revy looked at her watch. "Rock, it's only 1 AM. Why don't we stop at the Yellow Flag?" she suggested, putting her arm through his. "A couple of Bacardi's would go down good right now."

Rock gave her a confused look but then smiled and said, "Sure Revy."


	4. Conflicts

When Eda first noticed her pursuers, she knew she was in trouble. First, there were four of them. Second, she didn't recognize them. They looked Chinese, but they weren't dressed like 14K. Finally, they had already split into two groups. One moved to cut her off from the Yellow Flag while the other herded her towards the darkened warehouses.

Eda took stock of the situation. There were few people on the street, and it wasn't likely any passing strangers would stop to offer help. She was good, but alone, against four gunmen, her chances weren't great. They were already between her and the Yellow Flag, and the Church was a good distance away.

She pulled her Glock from its holster, somewhat comforted by the weight in her hand, but she cursed herself for only bringing the one clip. She hadn't thought a gunfight was on the menu tonight. Eda made her decision quickly and sprinted for the alleys, her high heels banging out a tattoo on the asphalt. She would head for the Church and try to lose them amongst the warehouses. Hopefully she knew their twists and turns better than her pursuers did.

Like most port cities, Roanapur had an extensive warehouse district stretching across several blocks. The high walled warehouses created a maze filled with shadows, dead ends, shipping containers, and refuse. Some of the alleys were so narrow as to be claustrophobic with others wide enough for large trucks. At this time of night, there would be few people around making it a perfect place for the kind of criminal activities even Roanapur wanted hidden. Eda was hoping that her murder wouldn't be one of them.

As she moved into the darkness between the warehouses, her visibility cut to near zero. Once you moved away from the main thoroughfares, Roanapur's street lighting ceased to exist. With the overcast sky blocking the moonlight, what little light there was came from the occasional security lights marking the various warehouse entrances.

In an effort to lose her pursuers, Eda made frequent turns but kept moving in the general direction of her Church. Still, in these unfavorable conditions and running for her life, it would be all too easy to make a wrong turn and trap herself in a dead end. Even with her rigid self control and the cool drizzle, beads of fear driven sweat rolled down her forehead. Unlike Revy, even her Ms. Glock side didn't get off on the threat of sudden death by bullet.

As she made a sharp turn, her heel caught in one of the many potholes. Eda slammed into the ground and nearly lost her Glock. She was on her feet again in a second, but the fall had given her fair warning. She couldn't afford to injure herself on the cratered landscape that passed for paving in Roanapur. Eda slowed her pace to what felt like a crawl. She almost laughed as a strange thought crossed her mind; she might be the first CIA agent killed in the field because she was wearing five inch heels to make her ass look good.

Periodically, Eda paused to look for signs of the men chasing her. Despite her best efforts at evasion, the sound of their shoes pounding behind her remained. She even caught an occasional glimpse of one as they passed by a security light.

The weird thing was that they didn't try to shoot whenever they caught sight of her. Their chances of scoring a hit were small, but most petty thugs would have tried anyway. That type of fire discipline was a worrying sign of professionalism. A sudden thought chilled her. Perhaps they didn't intend to kill her at all.

After several minutes of unsuccessful evasion, Eda realized she needed a new plan. Out-running them wasn't going to work. As she passed alongside one of the warehouses, she saw a very dim light leaking from the wall. There was a small opening where someone, probably thieves, had bent the corrugated siding back. Running her hand across the corroded metal she decided the opening was just big enough to work for her. A wharf rat the size of a terrier sniffed in her direction as she wriggled through the opening. Just what she needed, even the rats were giving her problems tonight. She was able to slide in without so much as ripping her clothes.

The interior was lit by a very weak drop-light in the center of the warehouse. Most of the space was stacked high with crates, but she spotted a trio of doors off to her right. Probably offices or more storage. She slipped off her shoes to avoid making any noise on the concrete floor and moved to check each door, looking for an unlocked one.

Shuffling noises came from behind her as she tried the last door. It opened. She threw herself in and pulled the door shut.

Eda cursed under her breath when she felt the walls. The space was barely bigger than a closet, and it smelled of mildew and stale piss. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

She waited for several minutes with her arms wrapped around her because she felt the chill from the damp and couldn't to do anything to dry off. Four gunshots rattled the walls of the warehouse in rapid succession. Eda couldn't be sure who was shooting, so she decided to stay put for a while longer.

Minutes ticked by slowly. Eda heard shoes making damp squeaks across the floor. The sound seemed to be moving in her direction, so she flipped the safety off on her Glock and waited to see if anyone would try the door.

Then she heard a quiet voice whisper, "Revy?"

Fuck, she knew that voice. What was Rock doing here? Eda decided she had to do something before Rock alerted her pursuers and got them both killed.

She holstered her Glock and waited until the footsteps moved just past her hiding place. She slid open the door and peeked out. Eda could just make out the shape of Rock's body moving away from her. Her bare feet moved silently over the concrete. Eda snaked her right hand around his mouth to silence him and then spun him around and into the closet.

Eda pulled the door shut quickly and pinned Rock hard against the closet wall. She felt his lips move as he tried to speak, so she pressed her hand harder against his mouth.

The closet was small enough that her body was pressed full length against his. The warmth was such a welcome relief from the wet chill that she didn't mind the company at all. She tried to think through her next steps when she noticed some interesting reactions in Rock. His breathing accelerated, and he trembled slightly.

Eda felt like laughing. Rock normally seemed pretty calm, even in dangerous situations. Then she noticed another, even more interesting reaction in his body and realized---_He thinks I'm Revy_!

For a split second she thought about correcting his error, but her Ms. Glock side stepped in and squashed the idea. Her own adrenaline had already been flowing from the events with Gustavo and the unexpected chase, and Rock felt so warm and real against her.

As she struggled in her own mind about what to do, Rock's hands came up to caress her arms, and then move up to her shoulders. His touch was so light. She felt soft shivers of pleasure moving up her spine. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like that. With each caress, her attempts to take control back from Ms. Glock got weaker and weaker.

Rock pulled her closer, and Eda inhaled that wonderful clean smell of his, so different than Gustavo's cigar breath and stale sweat. Her fingers slipped off his lips, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to replace them with her lips.

His kiss was tentative, gentle, but Ms. Glock wanted more. She pressed into him, opening his mouth with her own, exploring him with her tongue. Rock's hands wandered with more assurance to other parts of her anatomy.

The spikes of pleasure she was feeling far exceeded anything Gustavo, or any other man of late, had given her. Her own hands moved in ways that made Rock respond even more. Eda enjoyed every electric spike, which was heightened by the knowledge that she was in control, that this was what she wanted.

Eda worked on Rock's shirt, suddenly desperate to feel his skin against hers even as Rock tried to pull her shirt from her shoulders, bending down to cover her with sweet kisses.

In the back or her mind, Eda could faintly hear the staccato notes of distant gunfire and knew she should be worried about the situation, but Rock's warm hands were driving every sane thought from her mind. A sudden burst of sensation caused her body to arch away from Rock's greedy lips and part of her tried to say this was a mistake, that there would be a price to pay, but it didn't matter. All she wanted to do right now was revel in what she felt, in the freedom of pleasure without pain or fear.

The sound of a helicopter passing above, very low and loud caused Rock's body to tense and breaking the spell of desire. Inevitably, even Ms. Glock realized that the physics of this tight closet, let alone the danger of discovery by her unknown enemies, would make going much further impossible.

"Rock," she said as quietly as she could, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Rock tried to buck away from her touch at the sound of her voice, but the walls held them close.

"Relax," Eda sighed as she pulled her shirt back on. "I assume Revy is with you somewhere?"

"Eda," Rock said panicking while simultaneously trying to button his shirt, zip his trousers and buckle his belt, creating a complete clusterfuck.

Eda was both amused and slightly wounded by Rock's reaction. She moved her mouth against his ear and whispered harshly, "I said _relax_. We need to move outside and find Revy. She's probably already settled this."

It was a lie. The chopper overhead meant big trouble, and she knew Revy would need help. Rock bought it anyway. He calmed down enough to match the buttons to the right holes on his shirt.

Eda hustled him from the closet and back through the darkened warehouse. She kept Rock close, so she could still whisper to him while they moved.

"Rock, what the hell were you and Revy doing out here anyway? I thought you were going to some movie."

"We already saw it. We were on our way to the Yellow Flag when we saw you being chased into the alley."

As they left the warehouse, Eda knelt and examined the two bodies decorating the crumbling asphalt. Both were perfect double taps. The first had two neat holes in the back of his skull. The second, two in the upper left chest. The entry points were so close together as to almost be touching. She doubted any CIA operative could have done better.

"This had to be Revy's work," she sighed to Rock.

He nodded, still refusing to meet her eyes. "I know, when I saw it I thought maybe she had gone into the warehouse. That's when I....found you."

His clear discomfort stung Eda's pride, but her Ms. Glock side just laughed. They would have to deal with what happened later. Her immediate focus needed to be keeping them both alive.

Eda rummaged through the jackets of the two dead men while Rock stood by uselessly, looking nauseated as she flipped one of the bloody corpses over. She was desperate to find something useful, so when she came up with a few ammo clips and a .45, she let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but at least now she had a chance.

"Eda," Rock whispered, "Where do you think Revy is?"

"Not a fucking clue, but we should head for the Church and get help."

"What about the helicopter?" Rock demanded.

"What about it?" Eda shot back. "It's fucking suicide to run around here in the dark."

"Screw that," Rock snapped, his eyes flashing with sudden anger. "Revy is out here because she was trying to help you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Eda felt the knife edge of guilt twist inside her. Revy wasn't the most reliable of allies, but she had covered Eda's ass more than once.

"Fine, goddamn it! But we both know Revy's out here because she smelled blood, not out of the goodness of her heart."

Without saying another word, she turned her back on Rock and sprinted barefoot across the pavement. Rock dashed behind her as they headed towards the sound of the helicopter.

Within a minute, they could see the chopper moving low over the warehouses, stabbing down with its searchlight. Over the steady thrum of rotor blades, they could hear the chaotic racket of gunfire.

As they rushed towards the gunfight, Eda felt Rock trying to push past her. Damn him, what was he thinking? She could admire his courage and his dedication to Revy, but he was more likely to get in her way than help.

The helicopter dropped out of sight below the rooflines. The deafening noise made it clear that it was just around the next corner.

As Rock made a final desperate attempt to pass her, Eda ducked a shoulder and slammed him into the warehouse wall, pinning him in place. Before he could push her off, Eda jammed her pistol into his ribs.

"Knock it the fuck off before you get us all killed," she shouted into his ear, barely able to make herself heard over the rotor noise.

He looked at her, his hands curled into fists. For a moment, she thought he would try to push by her anyway; instead, he nodded sullenly.

Eda let her hands go soft on his shoulders, and when she found his eyes, Ms. Glock offered him a reassuring wink. Then, it was back to work. Eda crept back from Rock, making sure he stayed put. She then crouched down and peered cautiously around the corner. She felt Rock leaning over above her, trying to see as well.

Ten meters away, the machine hovered just off the ground. They could see the helicopters tail rotor blocking their way. Its pilot was using a search light to probe the street ahead of it. The main rotor blades were mere feet from the warehouse walls on either side. Eda was impressed; that type of flying took guts.

They were so close the rotor wash slashed their faces with dirt and debris. Then it surged into the air, clearing the warehouse roofs. With the path clear, Eda could see Revy running away from them, maybe 50 meters ahead. The helicopter's search light dogged her tracks.

Revy bounded away from them, firing her cutlasses at several dim shapes in the shadows ahead. Without warning, there was an explosion of light and noise directly in front Revy. The intensity was blinding, even from a distance. Eda recognized the signature of some kind of grenade. She rubbed at her eyes, desperately trying to regain her sight.

When her tear-filled vision cleared a few seconds later, the helicopter was already far above them and Revy's body lay twitching on the ground. There were three gunmen hunkered down around her. One of them spoke into a handset. Even as Revy struggled to rise, the nearest enemy idly raised his shotgun and shot her at point blank range.

Predictably, Rock lost control. He screamed Revy's name and tore past Eda. She snatched at his wrist with her free hand, trying to restrain him. Unarmed, he didn't stand a chance, but with one hand holding the .45, she could barely slow him down.

Despite the noise of the helicopter and the darkness, the men near Revy finally noticed them. Eda could see the muzzle flashes from their direction and hear the whine of bullets passing close. She knew she had to do something fast or Rock would be a bullet ridden corpse. Yanking on his wrist as hard as she could, she brought him close enough to chop at his head with the pistol butt. That stunned him long enough for Eda to concentrate on the nearest gunmen and commence firing.

Her shooting was aimed and steady, no spray and pray for her. Still, she didn't think much her chances. There were three of them a,nd someone in that damned chopper was stitching the ground near her with disciplined bursts of automatic fire. So, she was completely surprised when instead of pressing the attack, two of the men picked up Revy's body and retreated around the corner, while the third backed away while firing. As she dueled with him, her luck ran out, and a round, probably from the helicopter, drove into her left thigh. With a shriek of pain, she was forced to crouch down on her uninjured leg as the other one gave way.

At that point, all firing ceased. All three men disappeared around the nearby warehouse, and even the helicopter sped away. Maybe they thought she was finished.

Pain and shock forced Eda to drop the .45 and use both trembling hands to staunch the flow of blood from her thigh. Rock was starting to stand up, trying to understand what had happened. While he was still shaking himself two cars skidded from around the warehouse corner. They moved away from Rock and Eda kicking up debris in a burst of acceleration.

"Damn it, Rock," she husked, pain evident in her voice. "Give me your tie before I bleed out over here."

Rock seemed to finally notice her. For a moment, Eda feared Rock would leave her there, and go after Revy, but at last he stumbled over to help her. He fumbled to take off his tie and shirt, finally pressing them against her wound, making a crude bandage.

Eda let out a scream followed by a series of obscenities when he tightened the knot. After he tied it off, she threw one arm across his shoulder and he helped her to stand.

"Get me over there," she said pointing to the area where Revy had fallen.

Rock said nothing, but numbly complied.

When they reached the spot, Eda combed the area, trying to make out anything she could in the weak light. After a minute, she spotted something.

"There. Right there, Rock. Pick that up and give it to me," she demanded, pointing.

Rock bent down and picked up a small black tube about 6 cm long and as big around as his thumb. It was surprisingly flexible and seemed like it was filled with some kind of pellets.

He handed it to her and after a few seconds examination, she looked at him, struggling to keep the pain out of her voice.

"We have to get to the Church right away. I need to talk to Yolanda and figure out who they are and where they took her."

Rock just stared blankly at her, so she shoved the black tube into his face.

"Do you know what this is?" she rasped in frustration. "It's a bean bag round."

Rock continued to stare, not comprehending.

"It's a _non-lethal _round, dumb ass. It's designed to incapacitate, not kill. And look over there where the grenade went off. There's no cratering, just a scorch mark. It was a flash-bang. These people weren't trying to kill anyone; they were here to capture me. That and the fact they took the body means Revy is still alive!"

The look of relief on Rock's face was almost pitiable. Even with the scorching pain in her leg, Eda felt a little relief herself. Without saying a word Rock lifted Eda off the ground, half supporting, half carrying her as quickly as he could in the direction of the Church.

The sudden movement ripped a half choked scream from Eda, "Slow down bastard! If you open this wound again, I'll bleed to death before we reach Yolanda."

"Sorry Eda," he murmured, but he didn't slow down.


	5. Questions

It was still a couple of miles to the Rip-Off Church and Eda doubted whether she was going to make it. Even with Rock's support, every stride sent a new wave of agony through her wounded leg.

"Damn it," she swore as they both stumbled over a dip in the terrain. "Watch where you're going."

She had considered trying to head back to the Yellow Flag, but for all she knew, there were more of these Chinese bastards waiting there. Given their resources (_How the hell did they get a chopper without her knowing about it?_) and obvious professionalism, it was too big a risk. Rock was doing his best not to jar her, but his crude bandage around her thigh was so soaked with blood that you would never realize it started as a hideously ugly Hawaiian shirt.

Despite feeling feverish and exhausted Eda had a million thoughts traversing her mind. Part of her wondered if she would make it to the church; another part focused on how she could get Revy back and kill those Chinese freaks who shot her. Most bizarrely, part of her looked back at her short tryst with Rock and wondered if she might continue that experience in the future.

"Eda," Rock asked, ignoring her glare as he almost tripped again. "Who were those men after you? Does it have anything to do with the Leviathan you talked about?"

For a second, the shock of Rock's words blotted out the pain and she almost stuttered out her next words.

"What the hell do you mean?" she demanded, hoping her tone would cause him to stop pursuing this.

Unfortunately for her, Rock was in no mood to be intimidated. "When I helped you get those American soldiers out of Roanapur, I asked what you were getting out of that. You told me not to wake the 'Leviathan'. What did you mean?"

Eda grimaced . Rock was way too smart for his own good. If he figured out she was CIA, the repercussions could be drastic for both of them. Too many people would pay dearly for that kind of information, and if Chang found out, she might end up dead. The Triad had no love for the CIA or how she had manipulated them during the affair with the Maid. Keeping that information secret could cost Rock his life.

"Fuck that shit," she snapped. "If we don't get to the church soon, it won't matter."

They had cut through the alleys and warehouses and made it to the outskirt of the city, not too far from the soaring roof and squat surrounding buildings of the Church. The few roads they crossed were dark and almost devoid of traffic. Surprisingly, Rock hadn't slowed down at all. Shirtless and soaked from the rain, he seemed unstoppable, despite half-carrying her for the better part of two miles. She wondered what sort of demons could drive him like this.

"It's only another mile or so, we can make it," he said, continuing to half-walk, half-jog.

"Look at my leg, idiot."

He did and gasped. He could see the blood had soaked through his makeshift bandage and was steadily dripping to the ground.

Despite his previous bevy of questions, seeing Eda's obvious pain immediately shifted his focus. He gently set her down on the sodden ground. The cold earth underneath her seemed to drain the last of her strength.

"Listen, you need to get to the Church," Eda said, taking off her rose colored glasses and blinking the rain out of her eyes. "Find Yolanda and have them send back help. Tell them everything you know about Revy and what happened. Yolanda will know what to do."

For a second, she thought he was going to listen. Then he turned around, his head tracking the lights of an approaching car. They had seen a few as they made their way to the Church, but no one was going to stop to help in Roanapur, and Eda was in no shape to attempt a carjacking. Rock shocked her by reaching under her left armpit and drawing her Glock.

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" she asked.

He ignored her and began examining the Glock like it was some kind of alien technology, turning it over again and again in his hands. Finally, he located the safety and flipped it off.

"Rock, stop it. You're fucking clueless with guns," she shouted at him as he sprinted onto the road. The darkness swallowed him as he moved away from her.

A few seconds later, the approaching headlights illuminated him, waiting dead center on the roadway, holding the pistol out in front of him. The Ms. Glock side of her was not impressed. His stance was completely wrong, his elbow bent when it should be straight and he was using one hand instead of two. It would be a miracle if he hit anything. For a second, Eda couldn't even remember if there was any ammunition left in the clip.

With the car approaching fast, Rock simply started pulling the trigger as quickly as he could.. From the muzzle flashes she could see his aim was everywhere. At least one round appeared to go straight up into the air; another was so near his feet, the asphalt fragments forced him to jump back. He kept overcorrecting for the recoil in a way that almost guaranteed he wouldn't hit his target. It was without a doubt the worst excuse for marksmanship she had ever seen. A ludicrous giggle slipped from her lips as she decided he probably had his eyes closed.

Fate, however, was on their side. One random round out of a dozen plowed into the car's windshield, creating a blinding web of cracks. The panicked driver skidded the car to a sideways stop about five meters from Rock. The poor bastard, probably some Thai business man returning from a night of whoring and drinking, jumped out of the car. He dashed away, his hands held high, comically yelling, _"_Please don't shoot me!" as he fled into the darkness.

Rock dashed back to Eda who by this time had broken out in uncontrollable giggles. Instead of helping her stand, he picked her up and carried her as carefully as he could to the stalled car. As the last of her strength ebbed, she laid her head on his chest.

"You are one crazy son of bitch. You know that, don't you?" she whispered.

"Just rest," he said softly. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

As he fumbled to open the passenger door and set her inside, Eda vision failed, her sight narrowing to pinpricks. When he accidentally banged her wounded leg on the door, she hardly noticed the pain. Even Rock's words were making less and less sense to her exhausted mind. The Ms. Glock part of her whispered_ Not yet, you lazy bitch. Not before we take some of these assholes with us_.

As Rock slid into the driver's seat beside her, Eda tried to tell him how she was going to fix all this. For some absurd reason she felt a need to reassure Rock that Revy would be fine.

"It's gonna be alright," she muttered, her speech slurring as she her consciousness faded.

As she struggled to stay awake, Rock sped toward the Church, fishtailing at each turn on the wet paving. As her eyes closed, she saw the hard, almost frightening look of concentration on his face. With her final thoughts she wondered just how far he would go to protect Revy.

* * *

The sound of multiple voices and hands grabbing her brought Eda out of the darkness. She almost panicked when she couldn't open her eyes, but then she recognized Rock's voice.

"She's been shot, you need………."

"Don't move shithead," followed by the sound of a pistol being cocked.

"Someone get a stretcher."

Then Yolanda's commanding voice broke through the cacophony. "Martin, put the gun away. Mr. Rock is a trusted friend. I am sure he had nothing to do with this. Isn't that right, Rock?"

The rage in Rock's voice surprised Eda. "It was some Chinese gunmen who ambushed us. Why didn't you warn us, Yolanda? They took Revy."

As her mind tried to understand Rock's words through a fog of pain, hands lifted her out of the car. Despite her best efforts, sleep was beginning to claim her again. As she drifted away, Eda wondered how Yolanda could have known to warn them.

* * *

Blinding light seemed to be driving railroad spikes through Eda's eyelids. She tried to raise one arm to block it out, but something was tugging painfully on her wrist. Then a strong, gentle hand grasped hers while something blocked the excruciating light.

"Relax, Sis," said a familiar voice. "Everything is alright."

The deep lull of that voice brought a pleasant sense of relief to Eda.

"Dumb ass, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Eda grumbled, but she couldn't force much anger into the words.

She opened her eyes to see Rico's smiling face framed by curly locks. He leaned back as she blinked in the bright fluorescent lights of the Church infirmary to retrieve another pillow, which he used to help her shift to a sitting position. Eda didn't spend much time in the infirmary, but the gleaming white tile and stainless steel reminded her of every other hospital she had seen. She was in the bed closest to the window hooked up to a heart monitor. The tug on her arm was an IV drip.

"How long have I been out?" she asked

"About four hours. Brother Martin wanted to take you to the hospital, but the Sister Yolanda overruled him. So he put two units of blood into you and cleaned up that leg. He said the wound didn't do any permanent damage, but it nicked a vein which is why you bled so much."

"Where's Rock?" she said, grimacing as the pain in her leg combined with the disinfectant smell to create a sudden wave of nausea.

Rico looked concerned as he saw her face. He reached back behind himself to pick up a shining metal pan. "He is in Sister Yolanda's office. They have been talking for the last two hours. He wouldn't leave your side until Brother Martin assured him you were going to be okay."

In a strange way, Eda felt touched by Rock's concern, but before she could speak, her stomach rebelled. Rico quickly shoved the metal tray in front of her. For a few seconds, Eda could do nothing as her stomach emptied itself of last night's meal.

"Listen Sis, you need to be quiet and rest. Martin pumped you full of morphine, and it hits some people this way." His voice was calm and professional, but his free hand stroked her hair and betrayed his real concern.

His touch on her scalp felt wondrous, but as the dry heaves stopped, she knew this was not the time to encourage Rico's on-going crush.

"Get me Yolanda now," she said trying to wipe the bitter taste from her mouth.

"Ah, Sis..."

"Rico, MOVE YOUR ASS!"

He leapt to his feet and headed for the door. Eda watched as his normal smile crumpled in the face of her anger. He knew from experience that further conversation was useless. Eda knew how to get what she wanted.

Finally alone, Eda took stock of her situation. Her leg was heavily bandaged but not in much pain, probably due to the morphine. She pushed back the white sheets, but when she tried to sit up the room started to spin and her stomach threatened to rebel again.

Moving like an old crone, she gingerly twisted into a sitting position and dangled her legs off the bed. Dull sensations of pain continued to pulse up her wounded thigh, but nothing she couldn't handle. She stayed there for a minute, breathing deeply, trying to hold back the waves of sickness.

By the time she was strong enough to attempt standing, Sister Yolanda came through the door with her typical fearless gait. Yolanda always impressed Eda. Despite her advanced age and deeply wrinkled face, she entered the room like a Marine drill instructor, her aura of authority and control palpable. Rock, Rico, and Brother Martin trailed her like a column of new recruits.

Rock appeared tired, the circles under his eyes giving him a sullen look. Someone had given him an old black shirt to replace the one he had used to bandage her leg.

"So Eda, Brother Rico told me you wanted to see me _immediately_," she said halting a foot away from the bed. Her tone was deceptively mild.

"Sorry, Sister, no disrespect intended." she replied cautiously.

"Very well, I guess allowances can be made for you condition. What is it you want?"

"Has Rock briefed you on what happened?"

Eda smiled in Rock's direction. "Well enough I think. You were attacked by several very well equipped Chinese gunmen who were attempting to capture you. Instead, they got Revy. Additionally we took this off you after Rock brought you in." Yolanda handed Eda the .45 she had stolen from one of the dead gunman.

Eda gave Yolanda a puzzled look.

Yolanda smiled, "Perhaps the morphine is dulling your wits. I had Martin examine it."

Martin stepped out from behind Yolanda-- an athletic man of medium height, broad shouldered with a lantern jaw. The only thing that gave his age away was his close cropped iron grey hair. He wore the standard cassock and collar all of the brothers did.

Martin took the gun from Eda's hands and held it up to the light, pointing to some small markings on the slide. This is a good copy of the standard US M1911, but the markings are Chinese military, probably Norinco. Given Mr. Rock's description, I would guess they were either former military or Third Bureau operatives."

"Why would the Third Bureau be after me....?" Eda started, and then abruptly slammed her jaw shut, realizing Rock was in the room. Before she could change the subject, Yolanda cut in.

Turning to face Martin she said, "Could you please take Rock to the men's quarters? He would probably appreciate a chance to rest and a nice cup of tea."

"What about Revy?" Rock snapped.

"All in good time," Yolanda replied. Seeing his shoulders rise and fists clench, she quickly added: "I am as concerned about young Rebecca as you are, but we need time to plan and prepare. You have already seen the results of charging in without any preparation. Do you want to stage a repeat?"

For a moment, Eda thought Rock would continue, but then his shoulders dropped in defeat. Martin put a hand to his arm, guiding him firmly out of the room. As they were leaving, Eda heard Rock asking plaintively, "Did anyone save the bandage? I really need that Hawaiian shirt back."

As the door clicked shut behind them, Yolanda pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered Eda one. Until that moment, Eda hadn't realized just how much she craved nicotine. She looked at the pack and smiled. Marlboro's were hard to get in Roanapur. The Thai government tried to ban the import, but Yolanda always had a supply, which was excellent because the average Thai cigarette tasted like it was filled with dried dog shit instead of tobacco. Rico promptly pulled out a lighter and lit both cigarettes, before stepping back behind Yolanda.

After taking time to savor a deep drag, Yolanda said, "In answer to your question, it is highly unlikely they were working for the Third Bureau. I believe you can confirm the CIA has cordial relations currently, so the idea that they would be seeking to capture an agent like yourself doesn't make sense. However, since China entered its latest economic expansion, a number of the Bureau's agents have gone freelance."

"But that still doesn't explain why they would come after me," Eda said enjoying the bitter flavor of her own cigarette.

"Eda, has the alcohol finally killed all your brain cells? Isn't it obvious? I believe the recent series of events in Roanapur provide more than enough suspects and justification."

The statement brought a flood of memories back to Eda, memories that she had been trying hard not to think about. She stared blankly at the floor, continuing to smoke but saying nothing.

Yolanda continued, "You almost single handedly disrupted an NSA operation that was the culmination of years of planning. They were publicly humiliated before the Senate oversight committee. Didn't you think that …"

Yolanda continued on but Eda was no longer listening. She thought about the American soldiers who had been killed due to her actions. Soldiers she had desperately wanted to save despite her orders.

Five Americans dead, for all intents and purposes by her hand. Just one more reasons she told herself she hated this job. She was so very tired of following orders that made her keep doing things she despised.

_Stop wasting fucking time rehashing that shit, _The Ms. Glock side of her whispered_. It isn't like they were your friends. You put your ass on the line trying to help them. So what if a few of them got killed? It was their own damn fault for not being able to snuff some psycho bitch with a flint lock. You need to focus on how you're going to get out of this mess with your ass in one piece._

Yolanda put her hand on Eda's knee.

Eda jerked at the touch and then tried to cover with a smile. "Sorry Sister, I was just thinking about something."

Yolanda did not return the smile. Her face remained solemn. "Eda, there is more."

Her head snapped up, full alertness returning.

"Young Mr. Rock is becoming a potential problem," Yolanda said.

"How so?" Eda asked.

"I don't know exactly what happened between the two of you last night, but I think Rock's previous acceptance of you cover story is crumbling. He suspects that you are something other than the rather dull witted gunman you pretend to be."

"Shit, this is just what I don't need." In spite of the complication, Eda couldn't help but be impressed with Rock's insights. She had worked here for three years and not even Chang or Balalaika had suspected who she was. Randomly she wondered why would a man as sharp as Rock spend his time with a psychotic like Revy, no matter how beautiful she might be?

"I agree. There is more. I also received a disturbing report about your encounter with Gustavo last night. Your actions are displaying a certain...eccentricity. I am not your handler, but do you really think that was wise?"

Eda shrugged her shoulders, took a last puff and ground the butt out in a nearby bedpan. "I can handle myself. Right now, I need to get Revy back and figure out who is running this circus."

"Very well, but I think the two of us should have a long talk about this later. In the meantime I would guess you are in need of something besides the Church's spiritual guidance?" she said smiling crookedly.

"Yes, I need to know who I am facing, where they are, and enough firepower to deal with them."

"You're not asking for much, are you? You do realize we primarily deal in selling arms, not using them," Yolanda said her smile becoming something more sinister.

"Yes Sister, I also know that upon occasion you have taken direct action against people who threatened the Church's interests.

"We do have some internal resources Eda, however, given the need for prompt action, I may have to call in a favor or two with some of Roanapur's power brokers. I hope you are aware how costly a request that is on your part."

"You know I am good for it," Eda insisted. "Besides, wasn't it in Joshua 6 where he said 'Kill them all, let God sort them out'?"

"Actually Eda, it was the one of my personal heroes," she said smiling and patting Eda's knee. "The Abbot of Citeaux, when he dealt with some particularly nasty heretics. But perhaps you have the right idea.

Turning her head, she spoke, "Brother Rico, I am expecting guests shortly. Would you please make sure to bring them to me as soon as he arrives?"

"Of course, Sister," Rico replied as he hustled out of the infirmary.

Eda finally scooted herself off the edge of the bed and onto her own legs. The tiled floor was shockingly cold on her bare feet, but as long as she held on to the bed, it was possible to stand. Feeling the tug from the IV lines, she gingerly eased the needles out and disconnected the monitor. Freed up, she slowly moved over to the drug cabinet across the room.

Yolanda continued to watch from behind her, saying nothing. Eda scrounged through the cabinet until she found what she needed: two prefilled syringes of morphine, two of adrenaline, a bottle of Dexedrine and one of Oxycontin. With shaking hands she struggled to open the Dexedrine and pour some pills into her hands.

She felt Yolanda's hand on her shoulder. As she turned to face her she prepared her arguments on why she wasn't going back to bed, but before she could begin, Yolanda handed her a plastic cup of water.

"Here dear. You'll need this to wash those down," she said flatly.

"You're not going to try to talk me out of this?" Eda asked slightly shocked.

"Of course not, I've been around too long to waste my time on pointless arguments. Besides, you need to end this one way or the other. Your wants and desires have been in conflict almost since the day you arrived here. Maybe this will help you reach a decision."

"I don't understand?"

"Of course not, but maybe you will when this is over. Now, I will ask one of the novitiates to help you back to your room. You need to get ready and there isn't much time."

"But Sister.....," Eda protested.

"That is all I have to say on the matter," Yolanda's tone silenced her. Before she left she paused at the door and looked back at Eda."I still have high hopes for you Eda. You remind me of myself at your age." She smiled. "Only a little more naive and headstrong."

Eda could only stare dumbfounded as Yolanda left the room.

* * *

_Apologies for the delay in getting this out. Mucho thanks to Unkeptsecret for her tireless editing (and to Violet for allowing her to work overtime on this :-). Also thanks to Amigo for making me think about why Eda would do what she does._


	6. Decisions

_A/N Thanks for the many kind comments and encouragement I have received. Special thanks to Amigodude and Unkeptsecret for their help in finishing this. _

Lying on the soft quilt covering her bed, Eda waited for Sister Yolanda to assemble the rescue team.

Eda wanted desperately to close her eyes and sleep. Despite the handful of amphetamines she had consumed just a few hours ago, the sense of fatigue and pain was crushing. The bed probably hadn't been a good idea, but sitting in a chair was a near impossibility with her thigh wound. She tried to flex her leg, knowing that she would need it shortly.

She was forced out of her thoughts by a loud rapping at her door.

"Come in," she said, thankful for the interruption.

It was one of the younger novitiates, a cute and painfully skinny girl named Ruby. She looked respectfully at Eda from under her starched wimple and said, "Sister Yolanda requests your presence in the Chapel."

Looking at the young novitiate, Eda was reminded of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Certainly her life had been surreal enough lately to merit a Lewis Carroll story. She tried to ignore the pain when she stood up on her bad leg, but had to grit her teeth. It was stiff, but it seemed to hold her weight well enough. She waved Ruby off when she reached out to offer her support.

"Tell Yolanda I'll be there in a minute".

"Of course Sister, is there anything I can help you with?"

"No," she snapped, taking her first step and feeling pain jolt up her leg. Then, more gently "Just let Yolanda know I am on my way".

Eda picked up her Glock off the bed and slipped the shoulder holster on. It's cold steel heft reminding her that this was no fairy tale, no matter how surreal. Out of habit she ejected the clip to check it was full and then slammed it back in with the heel of her left hand. Slipping it into the holster, she left her room and limped towards the armory.

While she walked she reflexively reached for a piece of the bubble gum her cover persona chewed constantly, but stopped. Given the circumstances it seemed somewhat flip to be chewing gum right now, even if it fit her cover perfectly. Instead, she pulled out her rose colored glasses and slipped them on. Somehow, she always found them comforting. Still, it made her think how she might start repairing her battered cover image. So much had happened in the last 24 hours she wondered if it was even possible. Certainly Rock had seen enough out of character behavior that he now had doubts. She supposed that accosting him in that closet hadn't helped, but the sudden warmth she felt at the thought only made her want more. She would figure out a way to get what she wanted out of him somehow. Gustavo was another potential problem, but one her Ms. Glock side thought could be resolved with a few 9mm rounds. As she continued to limp down the quiet corridor she heard familiar footsteps catching up from behind her.

"Hey Sis," Rico said in his normally cheerful tone. Without asking he grabbed her arm and helped her down the hall.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? It just isn't respectful." It was a game they had played countless times, but Eda was in no mood for it now, she had too much on her mind.

"Sorry Sister Eda," Rico replied seriously, but his eyes were still smiling. No matter what was going on Rico's boundless enthusiasm never wavered. Even when he was using the ridiculous M-60 machine gun he insisted on carrying.

Eda might have vented more of her frustration on him, but when they reached the stairs down to the Chapel, she was grateful for the support his arm provided. As they rounded the last corner she gripped his arm so hard he audibly gasped.

"Shit," Eda swore under her breath. Yolanda had mentioned calling in a few favors to help with the situation but the man standing with her, Rock and Brother Martin was not what she expected.

"So Eda, what the fuck have you gotten my people into this time?" Dutch asked, not sounding in the least bit amused by the situation.

The opaque, near black glasses Dutch always wore threw Eda off. Without seeing his eyes, she couldn't gauge just how pissed he really was. She could only look pleadingly at Yolanda to help her. Surprisingly though, it was Rock who chimed in first.

"It wasn't Eda's fault. Revy and I saw she was in trouble and tried to help."

Before he could say more Dutch cut him off, seeming to glare at Eda despite the glasses, "I don't give a damn how it happened; I just want to know how you intend to get Two Hand back?"

"I might be able to help with that," Yolanda said, joining the conversation. "But first we need to board our transportation. Brother Martin will brief us on the way" she said, waving her hand in his direction.

Yolanda led the way out of the building. When they stepped outside Eda almost laughed. Where some might have expected a Hummer or other military style vehicle, instead there was one of the Church's elderly white buses. Martin waved everyone quickly on board.

Rico took the wheel and while the rest seated themselves. Brother Martin took the front seat behind Rico but faced back to see them. He launched immediately into his briefing. "Alright, we don't have much time, so I'll make this fast. Our intel indicates Two Hand is being held on the freighter South Star, down at the docks. The Third Bureau agents seem to be using it as a staging base. We think there are eight to ten of them on board plus the usual crew. As far as we know, the crew is not a threat. We also have a report that one of the men working with them is an American."

Eda ears perked up on that. The American was likely the NSA operative running the show. She had been trying to piece the facts together on why the NSA would be trying to kidnap her. Based on what Yolanda had said earlier, it seemed likely they might be trying to salvage something out of the disastrous Operation China Bit. Eda knew the details of the CIA's operations in the region. The NSA would like to get their hands on that, but she suspected there was more to it. She had cost the lives of several American soldiers under the NSA's control. While most of the intel community avoided acts of revenge, the NSA might see eliminating her as a necessary payback to restore their reputation.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Martin slapped a heavy package on the bench seat beside her.

"What's this," she asked, watching him set a similar package on the floor by Rico.

"Body armor and coveralls," Martin replied. If we are going aboard that ship to rescue Two Hand, you'll need it. The habit may look good on you, but it's unlikely to stop many ricochets."

"Rico, you need to lose the M-60," Dutch added as Rico looked back over his shoulder.

Looking puzzled, Rico replied "But won't we need the firepower?"

"High powered ammo like that tends to punch right through shipboard bulkheads. You might end up killing the wrong people when you start spraying away." Dutch said, and indicated yet more packages near the back of the bus. "I brought you an MP-5 out of the Church armory and some spare clips."

"You've had training in shipboard combat?" Brother Martin said, raising an eyebrow at Dutch.

"A little," Dutch replied with his typical enigmatic grin.

Martin paused for a second then stuck out his fist towards him simply saying, "Semper Fi?"

Dutch's grin became even wider, showing broad white teeth. He rapped knuckles with Martin, "Semper Fi," he replied

Everyone else in the room was totally lost by the exchange, then Rock said impatiently "What do we do when we get to the dock."

"We have some additional help waiting there. I'll explain when we arrive," Martin said.

At the next stop light Martin switched places with Rico to allow him to change. Eda couldn't help but notice the appreciative stares from the men around her as she shucked her habit. All she was wearing underneath was a high cut black thong and the bandage on her leg. Casual nudity didn't bother her much, given the clothes she tended to wear off duty and she knew most of the brothers were not exactly sticklers about their vows. Most interesting to her Ms. Glock side was the way Rock worked so hard not to look, yet seemed to keep stealing glances at her.

After she finished changing Rico sat down in the seat beside her. "Are you okay," he asked. Before she could reply Brother Martin looked over his shoulder. "Rico, grab your weapon and standby. I am going to pull the bus up about 200 yards from the end of the pier. The shipping containers there should provide some cover and our help should be waiting for us."

A minute later he brought the bus to a slow stop beside a wall of containers on the dock. A black Mercedes was parked just in front of them. As everyone moved quietly off the bus, a man jumped out the Mercedes to open the passenger door. A tall statuesque woman stepped out wearing a green military great coat over a dress the color of dried blood. A small smile came to Eda's lips. The appearance of the Red Queen seemed perfectly appropriate. Sister Yolanda went to meet her

"We have kept the ship under surveillance as you requested Sister. No one has gone in or out in the last three hours," Balalaika stated crisply.

"Thank you," Yolanda replied. "I believe Brother Martin has a few questions he would like to ask you."

Martin walked towards her carrying a long padded gun case. Normally his close cropped grey hair and military bearing made him standout in a group, but next to Balalaika he seemed smaller and older. He looked closely at the insignia on her Soviet era coat. "Captain, can you tell me how many sentries they posted?"

"Two," she replied. "I had my men sweep the surrounding area as well as observe using infrared scopes. We made sure there are no surprises awaiting you."

"Gawd, I love working with professionals," Martin said with a slight Southern drawl creeping into his voice. Yolanda's look of disapproval at his minor blasphemy didn't stop his smile from showing tobacco stained teeth. "I have one more request; I understand you have some experience using a sniper rifle?"

Balalaika arched one aristocratic eyebrow.

"Would you mind taking out the second sentry while I take out the first?" Martin asked.

"My agreement with Sister Yolanda didn't cover direct action. However.....," Her eyes darted in Dutch's direction.

Dutch saw the look and said, "The Lagoon Company will..."

"Will do nothing," Eda finished his sentence, taking a limping step between him and Balalaika. "I will cover this."

Balalaika looked her slowly up and down, a puzzled frown forming on her face. "My my, since when does Sister Yolanda's body guard feel free to address me? Do I need to update my files? Might you have something other than air filling your head?"

Eda's chin lifted up, her shoulders bristling with anger, but before she could reply Yolanda moved beside her. "Yes, the _**Church**_ will cover any additional expenses," she said soothingly.

Balalaika seemed at least partly mollified by the answer, but inwardly Eda cursed herself. In her time in Roanapur she had made it a point to avoid contact with Balalaika as much as possible. Her CIA file indicated the woman was both deadly and brilliant. As with Chang, Eda was always concerned that close contact might endanger her cover. When conversing with Chang she had always done it via phone and using a voice synthesizer to disguise herself. She couldn't decide if she was making these mistakes because of the drugs or if her Ms. Glock side was finally taking over and just didn't give a fuck. Thankfully, Balalaika was distracted as Boris handed her a long barreled Dragunov.

Martin pulled them together one last time. "After we eliminate the sentries, Rico and I will clear out the forward part of the ship. Eda, you and Dutch will clean out the stern. We're out-numbered, but given surprise this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

He handed Eda a radio hand set and 4 small cylinders. "The soup can shaped ones are flash bangs. Pull the pin and five seconds later everyone is deaf and blind. Make sure you don't look and cover your ears. The other two are fragmentation grenades. Throw them in the room and stand back out of the door. They will shred anything in an enclosed space, but watch out for the back blast."

"What about me?" Rock broke in.

Dutch and Eda both glared in his direction, but Eda spoke first. "Rock, you're more dangerous to us with a gun than the enemy. You stay back here with Yolanda and Balalaika..." She still hadn't forgotten his abysmal performance last night.

"No fucking way," he snarled. I don't need a gun; I'm going with you and Dutch."

Eda stared at him for a second, then shrugged, "Just stay out of the fucking line of fire, ok?"

Rock said nothing, but nodded his head.

"OK everyone, we move as soon as the sentries go down," Martin said. He had broken out a scoped rifle and was preparing it. Eda noticed two things, both his rifle and Balalaika's were fitted with silencers and Brother Martin's had a US Marine emblem burned into the stock. When he was finished, he and Balalaika moved slowly around the corner to where they could see the ships gangway in the distance. They had intentionally picked a spot where the setting sun was behind them. At this range, it would be almost impossible for anyone on the ship to see them.

Martin used a nearby crate to rest his rifle providing him a stable platform, then spending a minute making adjustments for maximum accuracy. He turned to Balalaika who had disdained any careful preparation, but instead casually stood upright and brought her Dragunov to her shoulder. Eda heard Martin say to her "On three," then in a quieter tone to himself, "showoff."

As they sighted their targets, Eda took out one of the adrenaline filled syringes she had brought with her. She fumbled with it but was able to push the needle into the crook of her elbow. Immediately she felt the drug burn in her veins and her heart began racing. Still, for once the pain in her leg almost disappeared. She then quickly dry swallowed a few of the painkillers she had brought for good measure.

A few seconds later she heard the rifles make simultaneous muffled cracks. Without waiting for anyone else she sprinted down the pier towards the gangway. Her sudden start caught everyone by surprise as the dashed to keep up with her. As she hit the first step she drew her Glock and then bounded over the body of one dead guard. When she reached the ship's deck she started looking for any kind of door. Part of her realized that she would be better off following Dutch, who seemed to know something about ships, but the combination of adrenaline and her Ms. Glock side dismissed any such caution on her part.

After she made it into the ship's interior, things became a blur. The corridors were cramped and dimly lit, almost claustrophobic. In the hyper alert state brought on by the adrenaline, she noticed the peeling paint and rust stains everywhere, but her mind couldn't seem to form any sort of coherent layout. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst through her chest. Having no other options, she sprinted down the dimly lit steel corridors, pausing at corners, listening at doors and then continuing her search. Within minutes she went down a set of stairs, stopped at the next corner and realized she was completely lost. Dutch and Rock were nowhere in sight, the only thing she was sure of was that she was moving towards the stern of the ship.

She thought of using the radio to contact them, but then she heard something up ahead, men speaking Mandarin in low tones. She forced herself to step slowly and quietly around the corner. She could see one of the doors was ajar and light was streaming out the edges. Eda looked slowly into the gap and saw four men sitting around a table moving white tiles around, behind them were bunk beds. They wore shoulder holsters so she was sure they weren't just the ship's crew.

She risked another look, wanting to be certain Revy was not inside. Assured that she wasn't, Eda moved one shaking hand into her pocket and brought out a tennis ball sized fragmentation grenade. There were too many of them for her to take on with her Glock, so a grenade seemed the best course of action.

Her thoughts were flying, insubstantial things as she tried to remember, how long did she have after she pulled the pin? "Fuck it," she thought, squeezing down on the grenade as hard as she could. She holstered her Glock and pulled the pin. With an underhand toss she flung the grenade through the crack in the barely open door and watched to see what would happen. For a second, no one reacted to the clanking lump of metal, but then everyone at the table jumped and wildly looked around. It was then Eda noticed the grenade had bounced off the far wall and rolled most of the way back towards the door where she was kneeling.

She tried to fling herself sideways as the grenade went off. The blast accelerated her move and smashed her into the unyielding bulkhead. For a second, she blacked out, then, as she recovered, she saw someone coming around the corner from where she had emerged. Tears blurred her vision and she looked wildly around, trying to see where she might have dropped her Glock, expecting at any second to feel bullets strike her. Her hands fumbled searchingly until she remembered she had holstered her pistol prior to throwing the grenade. Before her hand could reach the grip the person above her put his hands on both sides of her face.

"Eda, are you alright", Rock asked.

"Help me up," she ground out, trying to get some air back into her concussed lungs.

Rock helped her to feet as she tried to regain her bearings. He picked up one of the grenades that had fallen out of her pocket and tried to hand it back to her, but her hands were shaking too hard to take it. He continued to hold onto it while Eda tried to pull herself together. Turning, he pushed the now warped steel door open and looked into the room. When he turned back to her, she could see the nausea in his face.

In a tightly controlled voice, he asked her, "Any sign of Revy?"

Before Eda could reply, two bullets rattled off the bulkhead beside her, one drawing a line of agony down her side where the body armor was open. She shoved Rock out of the way and pointed her pistol down the long corridor in front of her. She snapped out a few rounds while she furiously continued to blink her eyes clear.

She thought she glimpsed a Caucasian face duck back around the corner.

Saying a prayer for whoever made the body armor she was wearing, she sprinted after him with Rock close behind. She paused at the next corner then looked around in time to see one of the steel bulkhead doors being closed ahead.

The adrenaline coursing through her gave her an insane confidence, but even her Ms. Glock side was unwilling to just charge in and try to throw that door open. Instead, she forced herself to move calmly and slowly down the corridor, hugging one side, scanning around for any other potential threats.

By the time she reached the door her anticipation had built to a fever pitch. She reached for the cold metal handle when a voice rang out from behind it.

"Is that you Sister Eda?"

Eda froze; looking back she could see the shocked look on Rock's face as well.

"It's alright, you can come in, it's not locked," the strangely calm voice invited her.

She slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. The first thing Eda saw was Revy sitting in a chair slumped forward. Her face was a mass of caked blood, the left side swollen and black. Her hands were tied in front of her and she appeared to be unconscious. The man behind was using Revy as a shield, a gun barrel pressed to the side of her head.

"That's far enough Sister," the man stated calmly. "Set your pistol on the floor and slide it over to me."

Eda considered trying a snap shot, but the adrenaline left her hands shaking so hard she couldn't be sure she wouldn't hit Revy. Ms. Glock whispered to her "Fuck it, take the shot," but Eda overrode her. She had too many sins to atone for as it was, she wasn't going to add Revy to the list. Kneeling, she slid her Glock towards the man, but it only went a few feet before catching on a welded seam in the floor plating.

As Eda took a step towards it, the man's pistol pressed more tightly into Revy's temple, so she froze..

"You know Eda," he said then pausing, "You don't mind if I call you Eda do you? I've been studying your file so much lately that I feel like I know you."

"I don't fucking care, what is it you want?" Eda replied, realizing the man didn't seem to know Rock was out in the corridor. Not that it would help very much since he was completely useless in a gun fight.

"I would think that you'd have figured that out by now. You've caused a great deal of trouble and accounts need to be settled. People in Washington need a name, someone to blame and it's my job to make sure your it"

"Fuck you asshole, if you hadn't stuck your nose in our territory, this never would have happened. I was doing my job and you know it. "

"Your territory? You stupid cunt, you really don't have a clue do you," he replied, the contempt evident on his face.

Eda was confused by his reaction, but she knew she had to do something or both she and Revy would end up as corpses on the cabin floor. Desperately trying to come up with a plan through her drug induced haze, she pushed her rose colored glasses up on her sweaty face. "Look, why don't you just let Revy go and we can work something out. I've got money and intel your bosses at Fort Meade would be dying to know. We can work something out."

"_My_ bosses," he said, shaking his head as if her words were somehow humorous. "Well, if you really knew what was going on we might have worked this out, but since you don't, the safest thing for me to do is just kill you both and dump the bodies overboard. It's a shame though, you definitely have one of the finest racks I have seen in a long time, but business is business."

As he started to point his pistol in her direction, Eda thought wildly about diving for her own weapon, just a few feet away on the deck. The Ms. Glock side of her knew it would take a miracle but she had to try. Before she could even make the move, she saw Revy's eyes flash open and she pushed off the floor hard with both feet, driving her head back and up into the gunman's face. His head snapped back, but he stayed upright and began firing wildly. Almost simultaneously, a familiar metallic clanging sound made Eda instinctively twist and duck to the side. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the flash bang stop just a few inches from her opponents feet.

Revy, bound hand and foot was unable to maintain her balance and fell to the side, while the NSA gunman stood and continued to fire wildly. Revy's head butt had broken his nose, causing his eyes to tear profusely, blinding him. He was completely unaware he was standing next to the flash bang as it went off.

Eda had dropped to the deck, curling into a ball, both hands covering her ears and her eyes squeezed shut. The bang and flash were still awful, but as she rolled back to her feet she could still see and hear clearly. As she scanned the room she saw her opponent rolling around, blood flowing freely from his nose and ears. Revy was lying near him, apparently stunned or unconscious from the blast. Eda quickly scooped up her Glock and went to stand beside the gunman's prone form. His hand was near his pistol so she stepped hard on his wrist, pinning it and effectively disarming him.

Before she could begin asking him questions, Dutch's deep voice cut in, "Rock, grab Revy, we need to get her out of here." There was a brief pause as he scanned the room, "You Okay?"

As he spoke, Rock moved into the room quickly, picking up Revy's unconscious form and hugging her tightly to him.

"Was that you who threw the grenade," she asked Dutch.

"You know it. What, did you think Rock did that?" he asked grinning.

For some reason, Eda found the grin reassuring and felt herself returning it. "Thanks, I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one, but just make sure that cocksucker isn't able to hurt any of my people and we can all it even."

Eda pressed her shoe harder into the prone man's wrist, making the bones grate and eliciting a muffled scream. "He won't be a problem anymore but you better get Revy out of here. I don't know how many of these assholes might still be around."

"Good idea, finish what you need to do. Rock and I will get Revy out."

As he turned Eda said," I still owe you. I'll bring a bottle of Macallan by the Lagoon later."

"Make it Ardbeg and I will definitely forget all about this," Dutch replied.

As Dutch went over to help Rock evacuate Revy, Eda knelt down beside the NSA man's head and shoved her Glock into his throat. Speaking in low tones to avoid Rock and Dutch hearing anything she asked, "So you fuck, still think my rack is so fine?"

He blinked at her, "Easy Eda," he said gasping from the Glock's pressure on his trachea. "Think about this before you do something stupid."

She pressed the barrel harder into his throat, warning him to keep his voice low. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, yet. You're going to tell me what your bosses over at the Puzzle Palace wanted."

The man let out a low choking laugh. "You still don't get it. Let me spell it out, I don't work for the NSA you stupid c....."

She silenced him by thumbing back he hammer on her Glock. "Then who the fuck do you work for?"

"I'm CIA, just like you," he replied.

"Bullshit," Eda snapped.

"It's true. Think about it, you got all those GI's killed and you think we were just going to let you walk? Somebody has to pay."

"But Levencroft wouldn't do that," Eda replied quietly, without conviction. In the back of her mind she was wondering if this was exactly what she deserved, one last betrayal for all of her sins.

"Now who's bullshitting who? Our field intel shows you put those men intentionally in Cisneros' way. Did you think we wanted the NSA stopped so bad that we'd kill US soldiers? You're almost as stupid as that mercenary bitch you pretend to be"

Eda's mind was reeling. "What field intel? Who sent you those reports? That's not the way it happened," she protested

"Above my pay grade, bitch, I'm just the clean up man." His free hand blurred into motion, a small knife appearing as if by magic from his sleeve.

The agent was fast, but after so many years in Roanapur dealing with threats like Shenhua and Revy, Eda had become a peerless killer. Even injured, she was more than a match for this man. Instinctively, she blocked the thrust with her free hand and fired one shot into his shoulder.

Standing, she watched the man writhe on the deck, trying to stop the bleeding. She realized there was no longer any easy way of this situation. Revy was safe, but her own agency had decided she was a rogue. Someone that could be sacrificed to make up for the lives she cost.

Her despair was the final straw. Ms Glock moved in smoothly, taking charge fully for the first time. The woman that grew up believing in God and Country couldn't deal with the guilt and betrayal any longer.

Eda stood up and slowly removed her rose colored glasses, wondering for a second how they always seemed to survive her battles. She calmly put them into a pocket on her coveralls. She no longer needed something to make the world look better, this one was just fine. She then put two rounds into the wounded man's head, a perfect double tap.

Without a look back she moved into the corridor to catch up with Dutch and get the hell off this tub.


	7. Demands

The heavenly smells of fresh coffee and bacon drifted through Eda's grogginess, slowly bringing her to full wakefulness. For a moment, memories of her mother's Saturday breakfasts brought a smile to her face. Throwing back a soft silk sheet, she tried to sit up in bed, but a sharp stab of agony in her ribcage froze her in place.

"I see you finally decided to rejoin the land of the living." Yolanda's voice, filled with her usual wry sarcasm washed away any small joy Eda had momentarily felt at the memories of home and family.

"Shit, I thought for sure I'd be dead by now," Eda's replied, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.

"No such luck child. I'm afraid your latest endeavor was actually quite successful." Seeing the incredulous look on Eda's face, a smile came to Yolanda's mummified features. "Well, at least it was until you passed out walking off the ship and Brother Rico had to fish you out of the water."

Yolanda pushed a wheeled tray filled with white china and removed the napkin covering the warm food. Then she seated herself in a chair within a hand span of Eda.

"Why don't you try to eat something dear? I'm sure things will look better once you get a little food into you."

As she looked at the food, Eda's stomach rumbled embarrassingly, and her mouth watered almost uncontrollably.

"So how long have I been out?" Eda mumbled from around her first piece of toast.

"Nearly two days, but that's not surprising. Didn't anyone tell you that it's not a good idea to mix bullet wounds, adrenaline and painkillers? Still, I've always known you're a tough one, Eda. A little food and you'll be right as rain".

"And Revy?"

"I believe she is resting comfortably in her apartment. I am sure Dutch and Mr. Okajima are taking good care of her."

Eda felt a slight elation knowing that Revy was ok, but all emotion was quickly submerged by her ravening hunger. She choked down the food so quickly that the coffee scalded her tongue. Every bite was heaven, until she noticed Yolanda's right hand idly cradling her 9mm Glock.

The sight froze her.

There were few things that frightened Eda; even staring down the barrel of Revy's cutlass barely scratched her diamond-like façade. But Yolanda was something different. Yolanda never made idle threats. Hell, Yolanda never threatened at all. She lacked the flash and style of a Chang or Balalaika when it came to dealing death. However, when Yolanda decided, then people simply died. Not often and not capriciously, but still, they died with all the certainty of the Roanapur tides.

She wiped the crumbs from her mouth with a trembling hand and glanced towards her nightstand drawer. Inside the dark mahogany she kept a backup, a small Walther PPK. It wasn't much, and given her injuries, she doubted she had a chance of getting to it before Yolanda ended her life. Still, the Ms. Glock side of her was slowly rousing and she'd be damned if she would let anyone kill her with her own weapon. That wasn't irony, it just fucking sucked.

Yolanda saw her eying the drawer and chuckled. "Relax," she said, lifting the Glock. "I'm just holding this for…safe keeping. Just until we can decide a few matters, you and I."

Eda's tense shoulders dropped marginally, the Ms. Glock side of her was at full alert, but unsure how to react.

Yolanda slowly, almost casually worked the slide, careful not to eject a round, but showing that it was clearly loaded.

"Eda," Yolanda asked, "Have you ever noticed how much you and this pistol are alike?"

"Sister…." Eda began, but the cold blackness of Yolanda's eyes made it clear the question was rhetorical.

"You're like all the top dealers of death in Roanapur. Revy with her blood thirsty cutlasses, Chang with his precision dragons, even Balalaika who deals death the way a concert violinist plays exquisite music. After a while, I begin to wonder who is the weapon and who is the wielder?"

Eda's mind was racing. In her college days, this type of existential crap bored her, but coming from Yolanda, it was downright terrifying.

"Even that ill-mannered creature Sawyer with the absurd chainsaw, who is to say it isn't her serving the needs of the weapon and not vice versa?"

Seeing the confusion in Eda's face, Yolanda smiled and reached over to pat her knee. Neither the smile nor the pat reassured Eda in the least.

"Eda, you need to make a decision. Who will you serve? The CIA? Brother Martin brought back a wealth of documents from that freighter. It seems that you own Agency has decided you're nothing more than collateral damage. A simple sacrifice made to satisfy some politician's need for cover on Capitol Hill. Also, I might add, no more guilty than the usual sacrificial lamb," Yolanda continued, her voice casual, like she was reading a shopping list. "If not the CIA, then perhaps you can make a deal with Gustavo. Despite your recent harsh treatment of him, you could easily charm your way back into his bed and his organization, if you so desired."

Seeing the look of vicious disgust on Eda's face, Yolanda changed her tack.

"Chang and Balalaika would both love to get their hands on the treasure trove of knowledge stored inside you pretty little head, although I doubt either of them would ever fully trust you to serve them. "Yolanda paused, staring at the Glock. "Then again, perhaps you could just serve that growing bloodlust inside you."

Both the woman that Eda once was and the Ms. Glock side of her stopped contemplating escape plans and listened.

"Yes," Yolanda continued. When her eyes looked up from the pistol, they were gleaming. "I've sensed the growing hunger, not just for blood, but for the freedom of power, for the ability to control your own destiny. Ever since you first came to Roanapur, I realized you were something special." Her voice carried the pride of parent discussing a particularly gifted child. "You were no mere gunwoman, sent here just to deal with the CIA's enemies. Nor were you some simple analyst, meant to gather information and forward it to your masters in Langley. You may have been born in the States, but your soul has always been a part of Roanapur. Why do you think Fate led you here in the first place?"

Despite the confusion caused by Yolanda's words, Eda felt the fear of her immediate demise fading. Still, what did Yolanda want, was she offering Eda a job?

"No child, I am not offering you a position in my organization." Then she began to chuckle at the look of consternation on Eda's face. "Yes, I have always found you quite easy to read, but don't worry, I doubt almost anyone else can."

"Then just what are you offering me?"

"Oh, perhaps a little help here and there. A little advice in critical situations, an occasional advance of funds when you have need. The use of the Church's facilities," she said with a shrug. "I am even sure Brother Rico would be glad to provide you with his assistance. "I think you would find obtaining his support far easier and more pleasant than Gustavo's".

"And in exchange?" Eda found herself almost holding her breath in anticipation of that answer.

"Nothing you couldn't afford I'm sure. Perhaps supplying me with a little more detailed information on CIA operations in this theater?"

Eda released the breath she had been holding then grabbed her side as a racking cough brought throbbing pain to both her bandaged ribs and thigh.

When she could finally speak, she gasped out, "No can do, Sister. I won't endanger any more American lives. Besides, you must know the CIA won't give up. They want me dead." She dragged the back of her hand across her eyes, both hiding and wiping away a few miserly tears, some of pain, some of loss. She realized for the first time, that like her cover persona, she was now truly homeless.

"Certainly not," Yolanda replied, laughing, a sound which reminded Eda of something desiccated and near dead. "My dear, don't you think I know you well enough to realize that you would never betray your country, even after it clearly betrayed you?"

"MY COUNTRY NEVER…." Eda began heatedly, ignoring the pain.

"Regardless," Yolanda snapped, cutting her off. "I would never ask you to betray something you loved. Still, knowing where your government is conducting drug interdiction operations, getting forewarning of political changes, especially the kind engineered by the CIA, even information about our competitors. You can understand how that kind of intel would be priceless to the Church and worth far more than the crumbs Levencroft usually allows us. I can also assure you not a single American life would be threatened. And, as for the trifle of the CIA disowning you, I have already begun to correct the misinformation Director Levencroft was operating under.

In response to Eda's quizzical look Yolanda smiled crookedly. "As it turns out, evidence has reached me of an NSA operation to discredit you and place the blame for the misfortunes of operation Chinabit on your innocent shoulders."

"Is any of that true?" Eda asked hopefully. "Was it really the NSA framing me?"

The stern look Yolanda favored her with made Eda realize just how childish and naïve that question was.

"Does it matter, my child?" she replied with no small tone of exasperation. "The list of suspects who might have been involved is endless. For all we know, it was simply a mistake of the bureaucracy you serve." She waved the Glock around as if to emphasize the point. "All that counts is that Levencroft believes it. He also understands that agents of the Lagoon Company eliminated a rogue NSA agent who had attempted to kidnap one of their people and also murder you. He was most grateful and is anxiously awaiting word to see if you are recovering from your near fatal wounds."

"So that's it? A few altered reports, some transparent lies and all this is over?" The initial outrage in her voice gave way to fear when she noticed the Glock had shifted and was now pointed directly at her. The double meaning of Yolanda's last words suddenly dawned on Eda. Looking down, trying unsuccessfully to avoid Yolanda's piercing gaze, she asked, "So Sister, will I survive my wounds?"

Yolanda looked at her, all smiles gone. Nothing but the aged and weathered Sphinx remained. "That depends, what do you think my dear?" she rasped.

For a long moment, Eda paused. Thoughts flew through her head, arguments and counter arguments but the end was never in doubt. Ms. Glock won. When she looked up, Eda found that she was smiling. Not the vacuous smile she so often affected for Revy, but the predatory gleam of a born killer. She held out her right hand as if to shake Yolanda's. "So no more 'Alas, I am a woman friendless, hopeless'."

Yolanda laughed at the reference. "Shakespeare Eda? I think you need to spend some time working on your cover story. The Eda I know would no more quote Shakespeare than Revy will start quoting Gandhi" Rather than shaking her hand, Yolanda reversed the Glock and put the butt into Eda's outstretched palm. Far more than any handshake, this showed Eda her full trust.

For a moment, Eda said nothing. Then quietly, she asked, "How would you know I'm not lying?"

Not a muscle moved in Yolanda's face. "Child, you could no more lie to me than yourself. We both have the same wants and desires. Our only difference is how we have chosen to accomplish them up till today. Now that you finally understand who and what you are, I can begin helping you achieve it."

As she stood up to take her leave she paused. "Oh, you had best finish eating and get dressed. We have a lot to do if you are going to begin taking a more active role in Roanapur. And speaking of cover stories, you should plan on doing some damage control with Mr. Okajima as soon as possible."

As Yolanda closed the door, Eda didn't reply, but resumed her attack on the still warm food. She knew she had chosen a twisted and dangerous path for herself and not all the myriad facets of her personality were in agreement about how to pursue this. Still, even the dominant Ms. Glock side of her felt a pleasant warmth at the thought of her next encounter with Rock.


	8. Aftermath

_A/N Sorry for the long delay in publishing. Lots of distractions. Hope Rei starts publishing again soon._

* * *

Revy was unhappy, very, very unhappy. The doctor Dutch had brought in had been beyond generous in doling out the pain meds. Normally, with this much demerol in her system, she would be flying high, FTW, but her mounting frustration was making things more and more tense. The humiliation of getting her ass kicked was bad enough but Rock and Dutch's insistence that she rest and let herself be taken care of was maddening. She wanted to reach again for the bottle of rum on the floor beside her, but decided she wasn't quite ready to pass out yet.

She had finally given in and let them help her after Dutch threatened to hire the chainsaw Goth…..Sawyer, yeah that was the freak's name…. to come in and act as her nurse. Revy fought of a shudder at the thought of those black painted nails touching her. She had to admit that maybe one of the nuns from the Rip-Off Church wasn't a bad compromise. Besides, truth be known, she did need the help. Her bruised ribs along with all the other damage made it impossible to do some of the simplest things like washing her hair without help.

Lying on the liquor stained mattress that served as her bed, she threw an arm across her eyes to block out the sickly yellow street light that shone through her open blinds. In the darkness she wondered again why she was still alive. When she had woken up aboard that ship she fully expected them to kill her. When Rock and Eda showed up she was already resigned to it. In some ways the thought was almost a relief. No more wondering about how it would end, no more of the self loathing that made up so much of her life. But then there was Rock again, fucking up the natural order of things.

As she tried to just drift off to sleep she couldn't decide, what was it about Rock that drove her so crazy? Their trip to the movies had been fun, but now she felt more off balance than ever. Why did she seem to need him so much? She would never admit it to anyone, but when she had heard his voice aboard that ship, she felt… she couldn't describe it. All she knew was that she wanted more of it.

Her feelings were confused, amorphous things that constantly slipped through her fingers, becoming less comprehensible the more she tried to understand them. The first time Rock had tried to help her to the bathroom she had pushed him away and ended up crawling on all fours. When Rock tried to insist she had managed to reach her cutlasses, but by then he had the sense to leave before she could finish loading them. The next time she slept, the bastards had come in and removed every gun in her apartment. Dutch had promised to return them once she was back on her feet. In typical Dutch style he had justified it saying "I can't damn well afford to keep patching the bullet holes, let alone clean up the blood if you accidentally hit someone. The walls here are just sheetrock Revy." Fuck, like she ever 'accidentally' hit anyone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her door latch being slowly opened. It was too late for the nun, so she tensed, her survival instinct kicking. Alone and relatively helpless, it would be a good time for one of her many enemies to look for a little payback, but then she recognized Rock's footsteps.

'Revy?' He whispered.

She was still pissed at him so she remained silent, pretending sleep and observing him through one slitted eye. She almost smiled when she saw he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, although the pattern was different than she remembered. He paused seemingly uncertain of what to do next. Then he stepped forward, one hand reaching for her breasts. Her mind was so shocked she froze. The idea of Rock sneaking in to cop a feel was ludicrous, and perhaps not so strangely, arousing to her. She half hoped that Rock was finally going to start acting like a normal male. However, rather than touching her he reached across to adjust the blinds, closing them to block the light shining in her face.

"Rock"

He stayed still, his eyes seeking out hers from just inches away.

Almost without conscious thought, her right hand reached up and her fingers twisted in the front of that Hawaiian shirt. Despite the pain it caused her bruised muscles, she slowly overcame his resistance and pulled his lips down to hers.

The kiss wasn't gentle, there was no hint of foreplay, only crude need, primal in its intensity. Revy had no concept of foreplay or seduction, but as a wash of unexpected pleasure moved down her body it became much more passionate, almost human. Her other hand moved up into his hair, and despite her growing arousal she took time to enjoy it's softness before pulling his body into greater contact with hers. Rock pushed away, breaking the kiss and creating a few inches of chill space between them. Revy tired hard to pull him closer, afraid he was leaving. Instead, he untangled her hand from his shirt and brought it to his lips, slowly kissing the back of each finger in turn. The subtle eroticism of that act made her gasp. She was aching, no longer from the bruises, but from an intense desire to feel his skin against hers. He let go of her hand, leaned in closer and pressed his fists to the bed on either side of her body. Still, he kept his lips an inch from hers bringing a quiet snarl of frustration from her.

"Revy," he whispered. "I don't want to hurt..."

She cut him off, "Shut the fuck up" she snapped, frustration and desire warring in her words. With no pretense at gentleness, she ignored her screaming muscles and pulled him back down into her embrace. The excitement, the thrill, replaced any pain she might of felt. She twisted on the bed, pulling him down completely beside her. Her hands moved with urgency, working on his shirt. Her damaged fingers were clumsy and in frustration she just ripped it open and pulled it off his shoulders.

After an initial hesitation, his hands became more aggressive. They grasped the lower edge of her black tank top, forcing her to release him and pulled it quickly over her head. he leaned in and began kissing her throat, seeking out the sensitive pulse points, using the tip of his tongue to caress them and drawing yet another gasp form her. The rich friction of his smoothly muscled chest across her nipples caused her back to arch involuntarily, pressing them harder into him. She used both hands to pull his face to hers, each kiss became more frenzied, her tongue exploring his mouth, intertwining with his.

Her need was overwhelming. It had been well over a year since she had last been with a man. Since Rock's arrival, the thought of a quick fuck with some whop or dago gunman had lost all interest for her. The absence of other men made her need all the more urgent..

She struggled to unbuckle his pants as his nails grazed their way up her inner thighs then dipped below the edge of her black panties. When his fingers reached her mound they gasped almost simultaneously. Her wetness was abundantly evident and her arousal was now uncontrollable.

Her hands were frantic to get his trousers off. When she grasped him, it was his turn to arch back, her grip so urgent as to be painful. Her eyes took on an almost vicious gleam in the yellow light as she guided him into her, savoring the comfortable length as he filled her. His thrusts quickly became urgent, his hips digging into the bruises covering her body and his hands unwittingly tightening on the welts covering her shoulders, forcing a twisted smile of pleasure. to cross her features.

Rock pulled back again, alarmed. "I'm sorry, are you okay?

Revy's voice grated out, almost raging at having to repeat herself, "Just fuck me you bastard." Why couldn't he understand, she wondered? The pain was part of the pleasure, in truth, it amplified the pleasure, giving it an added dimension she craved.

She wrapped her legs around Rock's hips, pulling him deeper into her and forcing her lips back onto his, stifling any further questions. As he began to move again, she used her muscles to massage him, drawing audible moans of pleasure from them both.

Smiling triumphantly, she began to urge him on, encouraging him to accelerate his movements. Jolts of pain/pleasure began to multiply; her mind was now lost in a frenzied palette, mixing images of Rock's pleasure filled face, the feeling of him inside her and the smells of sweat and arousal from both their bodies. The synesthesia blotting out the hated memories of other experiences and allowing her a level of enjoyment she was rarely accustomed to. Each shard of pain added to her mounting enjoyment, flavoring the pleasure like an exotic spice.

Even before Rock reached his peak, she began to climax, wrapping her arms and legs around him, cocooning him in her embrace. Biting deep into his shoulder to muffle her cries of pleasure, she reveled in the salty taste of his blood.

Her bite seemed to galvanize Rock, she felt him make one final thrust into her before collapsing onto her body in exhaustion. She lay there, not minding his weight in the least and enjoying the kind of pleasant lassitude she had read about, but never experienced. Making love to Rock exceeded the fantasies she had about him. His pause when he hurt her, while irritating, showed how much he cared, unlike the selfish bastards she normally slept with. In the past she had sometimes been forced to threaten the assholes with castration to make sure she had her fun before they decided to roll over and fall asleep.

Relaxing she watched as Rock lifted himself off of her and sat on the edge of the bed. Impishly, she ran her fingertips across his back, idly sketching the rivulets of blood from her bite, then tracing the deep scratches even her short cut nails had inflicted on him. When she touched one particularly bad scrape, he jumped and twisted away.

"What?" She asked, bothered by the exaggerated way he seemed to recoil from her. Then she saw his eyes. The movie star adoration she was used to had been replaced by something else. Was it …..fear she saw?

Anger gripped her as she remembered who Rock was, a vanilla salary man who had no more understanding of her kind of sex than he did of how to shoot people. She thought about the dusty locked box she kept hidden under the floor boards. Revy wondered how shocked Rock would be by the cuffs, the well worn whip, the collar and leash she had kept for so many years and longed to wear again. How could she have believed she would anything other than some kind of sick freak to Rock. The thought fueled her growing rage.

Staring into her face, Rock paused and then replied, "Nothing Revy. Just the scratches hurt a little."

Words began to spill from her lips without conscious thought, "Bullshit, you got your 'thank you for rescuing me' fuck, so now get the hell out. I need to sleep."

He jerked back from the anger in her tone as if she had slapped him. "What's wrong," he asked, moving his right hand up to touch her face.

She slapped his hand away, viciously chopping at the wrist to inflict maximum pain. Then she pulled her knees up to her chest saying "Nothing asshole, I just need some sleep, so get the fuck out." One of her feet jerked threateningly, as if she might kick him if he didn't move quickly.

Rock stood up, backing away a short step and cradling his damaged right wrist protectively. "Damn it Revy, relax, I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He realized it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left his mouth.

Seeing him standing there, nude, the only blemishes being the mild scratches and bites she had inflicted, brought another tumult of emotions. Part of her wanted to grab him and bring him back into her embrace, another part raged at his lack of scars and other damage her own life had inflicted on her. I was the fearful, vicious animal inside her that always won out. "And what, you thought I needed a good fuck to help with my recovery?" The volume and viciousness of Revy's tone were rising rapidly.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Fuck off asshole and don't think just because we fucked you have some kind of special privileges now." With that she reached down to the floor for a pack of cigarettes.

Rock snatched up his clothes and moved out towards the apartment door. He seemed to realize that the best option now was retreat and that no further purpose would be served in talking to her while she was this angry.

Revy lit a cigarette and listened to him leave, the soft steps of his bare feet punctuating the resentment and shame she felt. Fuck that asshole she thought, leaning her head back on the rum stained pillow. Who fucking needs a vanilla pussy like him anyway.


	9. Plans

_A/N Many thanks to Amigodude, Unkept, JAS and the others who make writing here so fun. __Also, a shoutout for Algul, Amigo's novel on kindle. It is an excellent read._

* * *

Reflexively Eda's hand moved to massage the sore point between her shoulder blades. It brought a startled pause and then a smile. For the first time in years she realized those muscles didn't hurt from constant tension. Even the yammering of that damn cockatoo outside didn't seem to bother her. Sitting in a comfortable bedroom chair, reviewing the latest classified message intercepts, she felt more relaxed than she had in years. Despite the dramatic turnaround in her allegiances , she felt no anxiety about the future.

Her paranoid Ms. Glock side was reveling in the freedom she now felt.

Already though, other parts of her mind were twisting around the track, trying to prepare for the overwhelming tasks she faced. How to build her new power base? How to keep Levencroft and Langley satisfied, but in the dark about her true intentions? How to prevent the betrayal that Yolanda was surely preparing? That last one would be years away, but given Yolanda's devious and subtle nature, it was something she had to start preparing for now.

Langley was the more immediate problem. She needed to understand how and why she had been framed. Part of her still doubted that the NSA drones had done it. It showed a level of planning and cunning she thought was beyond their stunted technocratic souls.

For a moment she considered the local possibilities, but it also seemed unlike any of Roanapur's traditional powers. Too devious to be the mafia or cartel and although Balalaika was capable of such a deception, it just wasn't her style. If she wanted Eda out of the way her brains would have been splattered around her bedroom by a single sniper bullet. Or worse, she would be in some dark cellar, strapped down and being worked on by Balalaika's lieutenant, Boris. Despite his oh so stoic loyal lieutenant demeanor, the CIA's file on that one would give nightmares to Torquemada. The Desantniki in Afghanistan hadn't been renowned for their gentle powers of persuasion. No, out of all of Roanapur's power centers, only Chang could or would have done this, but she was sure her cover was still intact with him.

Perhaps Yolanda would have better luck. She had promised Eda she would use her own resources to look into the matter.

Thoughts about her cover shifted her mind to another, much more pleasant concern…..Rock. Yolanda was right in her earlier advice, Rock was a both a potential problem and a possible ally. Having the novitiate, Ruby, acting as Revy's nurse had paid unexpected dividends. The latest surveillance tapes showed, true to form, that Revy had no idea how to handle Rock.

Funny how she used mini cameras supplied to the CIA by the NSA. You just had to love the interagency cooperation.

This recent encounter, probably their first she thought, had not gone well. Reviewing the tapes had bothered parts of her, but Ms. Glock had found them quit...rewarding so to speak. She remembered her whispering how if it had been her, Rock would not have exited the room quiet so fast and certainly not as frustrated. The look on his face has he left had been priceless.

In fact she thought, one hand stroking her throat where he has so recently kissed her, Rock might just be looking for some solace and, a way to release his frustration. She knew she needed to act and soon, but each time she tried to plan something, Ms. Glock began distracting here with vivid electric memories of his hands running up her flanks to her breasts. The warm glow of those thoughts filled her, causing her to stretch almost languorously, as if he was with her now.

"SHIT..…" the cry of pain ripped from her as wounded thigh muscles cramped agonizingly. She strove to relax her leg and pulled up the hem of her habit. The bandage, placed just above her stocking top was much smaller than the original. The wound was healing nicely, but blood was seeping through, indicating she needed to change the dressing. "Fuck," she repeated to the empty room. She picked up the first aid box nearby, the soundless shaking foretelling a long and unpleasant limp to the infirmary for more..

Slowly, she levered herself out of the chair and took the first step in what promised to be a short but arduous journey to the infirmary. She tried to move with her usual grace, but the limp was obvious. still, the rose tinted surroundings seemed particularly cheerful today. She had resumed wearing her special glasses in public. Despite discarding them earlier, too many changes might draw unwelcome scrutiny, so she again hid behind them.,

The pictures of long dead saints decorated the walls before her. She paused, staring at the portrait of Pope Julius II. "Il Papa Terribile' she muttered amusedly. Perhaps in her meditations tonight she would call upon him for insight. The thought helped her ignore the persistent throbbing every movement triggered .

As she neared the infirmary door the rude sound of metal striking a tile floor alerted her that someone was inside. Ms. Glock brushed her right hand up under her armpit, making sure the 9mm pistol was loose and easy to reach. Even inside the Church, one could never be too careful.

As she quietly cracked open the door she could see a head full of curly black hair bent over some papers and a clipboard scattered on the infirmary floor.

Leaning on the door, forcing it open she asked smiling, "So Rico, what brings you down here?"

He jerked around to face her, his eyes moving swiftly between her and the papers he was now quickly trying to gather up.

Seeing the way he frantically worked and the obvious nervousness in his tensed shoulders, Eda was intrigued. What was he trying to hide she wondered?

Unable to comfortably flex her wounded leg, she bent at her waist and managed to grab a few of the papers by her feet. A casual glance showed that it was part of the simple medical chart Brother Martin had been keeping on her since her injury.

"Sis," Rico started. "I was just trying to clean up and I ….."

"If you call me 'Sis' one more fucking time Rico I'm going to decorate these walls with your brains." Despite the gruff tone, Eda worked hard to hide her smile. Rico's crush on her had been obvious for some time and looking at her chart was just another way he was checking up on her. Although his concern was charming, she disliked being spied on, but before she could snap at him, Ms. Glock whispered an intriguing idea.

"Put that shit down and come here," she ordered, limping over to the nearest bed and sitting down heavily. "I need help changing this dressing."

Rico jumped up, putting down the paper he had been gathering and went over to a nearby set of cabinets. Within a minute he turned back towards her carrying a shiny tray filled with bandages, disinfectant and various other tools.

Eda stretched back on the bed, keeping her shoulders up with her elbows and her wounded leg out in front of her, she closed her eyes and listened to the clack of Rico's shoes on the tiled floor as he approached. Then she heard the scraping sound as he pulled a chair close and parked by her.

After waiting a minute, she opened her eyes and stared at him. He seemed nervous and uncertain what to do next. Trying to look annoyed she said, "Well what are you waiting for, I can't do a decent job changing it myself."

Rico stared at her for second, unmoving, so she shook her wounded leg pointedly.

Catching the hint he pulled the chair closer and reached slowly for the hem of her habit near the ankle.

"Come on," Eda snapped impatiently, rolling her eyes.

Slowly, he slid her skirt up exposing near flawless, muscular legs clad in sheer white stockings. The wound was high up on her thigh, so he was forced to roll it up towards her waist. His movements were hesitant, so she let out another impatient sigh.

When he reached the bandage he stopped lifting her skirt, but when he let it go to get the new bandages, it kept rolling back down. Finally, much to Eda's delight, he had to lift the skirt all the way up to her waist. Eda lifted her ass off the bed, allowing him to bunch the skirt behind so it would stay out of his way while he worked.

For a moment, Rico froze, staring at the erotic combination of creamy skin, sheer stockings, garter belt and virginal white panties.

"Well," she asked. "What the fuck do you plan on doing down there?"

Rico lip parted unconsciously and stared at her without seeming comprehension., His eyes didn't shift, almost glued to the sight in front of him. Beads of sweat were beginning to roll slowly down his forehead.

Struggling not to smile, Eda lifted one hand to point at the tray of bandages.

"Yes… of course. I was just about to…." Rico's tone dropped into a mumbled incomprehensible string as his suddenly clumsy hands fought to pick up the bandages.

While he worked, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his strong hands moving up and down her thigh. His hands felt different than Rock's, more tentative, callused from the constant use of his M-60. Despite the minor pain he caused, Eda let out a quiet sigh of disappointment when he was finished.

When her eyes opened she saw Rico cleaning up the messy tray. Sweating, his hands still shaking, she realized just how shaken he was by her game. It was then she understood just how much fun it might be make love to Rico. ?But like Rock, he was too much of a gentleman (too much of a wimp her dark side corrected) to make a move.

Thinking back to the video of Revy and Rock, Ms. Glock filled her mind with all sorts of black Dom/sub games she could play with Rico.

'Eda?', Rico asked quietly, confused by her lengthily silence.

Eda fought the urge suddenly turn away. Even though she was hardly embarrassed, this side of her was still to different, to novel. Parts of her she had never realized existed had started to make themselves known

"Thanks Rico," she said gruffly, trying to cover her confusion.

Lifting herself up off the bed, she pushed her skirt back down, running her hands over it to smooth the wrinkles while Rico watched, silent. With a quick nod she sauntered out, tying to clear her head.

As she walked through the corridor, part of her wondered why Ms. Glock didn't just take over and drag Rico back to her room. Then her other half whispered with perfect blackness, "Rock first, we need him."

She moved slowly toward the Chapel, wondering if Sister Yolanda would let her borrow one of the church cars tonight.


	10. Actions

_A/N Thanks to Amigodude for the suggestion to pick things up. This has been a long story and I let the pacing slow to crawl, but almost there now._

* * *

It was a quarter past midnight, but Rock sat quietly at his desk, the ledger books open, carefully reviewing the Lagoon Company's latest results. His eyes were straining in the dim light, burning from too much cigarette smoke and lack of sleep. His last break had been hours ago, consisting of five too many Bacardi's and a sandwich at the Yellow Flag, but Dutch wanted the closeout figures for the month. He needed to know if he could afford some much need repairs to the Lagoon. Constantly fixing all the battle damage was never cheap.

As he squinted, he stubbed out what was left of his Lucky Strike and considered lighting another one. The overflowing pile in the ashtray discouraged him. It also reminded him of his last meeting with Revy two days ago.

The day after their _encounter_, Rock had spent a sleepless night replaying the events over and over in his head, wondering what he could have done differently. After maybe an hours sleep he had woken early, worked up some feeble courage and walked over to Revy's apartment. Not quite up to seeing her alone, he waited in a nearby noodle shop until, Ruby, the novitiate from the Church, came by to help take care of Revy.

Splashing dirty water on his perfectly creased trousers, he sprinted across the street and followed her up the stairs.

'Good morning Mr. Okajima,' Ruby said quietly in greeting.

'Hi Ruby, just stopped by to see how Revy was doing."

As she turned to unlock the door, some of her soft brown hair escaped her from under her wimple. Rock couldn't help but contrast her gentle voice and waif like features with Eda's brassiness and pure lethality. Rock wondered if someday the Church would train Ruby be every bit as dangerous as Eda.

The door opened with a soft click. Trying not to look anxious, Rock gazed over the shorter Ruby's shoulder. He could see Revy already dressed and moving around. The purple bruises tracking across her torso, extending underneath her usual tank top and shorts. Her movements were slow and careful as she went to sit by the small table in one corner of the room.

Rock could only guess at the pain she was still feeling...and wondered if the bruises hurt half as much as the emotional turmoil.

Ruby moved immediately over the refrigerator and began rummaging through the contents.

"What would you like for breakfast Ms. Revy?"

"Whatever, but I need coffee...now."

Revy was studiously tying her boots and avoiding even looking in Rock's direction.

"Hi Revy, feeling any better?" Rock asked neutrally

"Do you have any eggs sister?" Revy asked

Ruby looked briefly at Rock, her gaze quizzical, then replied, "Yes Ms. Revy, I took the liberty of restocking your refrigerator. How would you like them?"

"Over easy, with toast...and do you have any of the kao tom left?" Revy was searching her pockets, as she spoke. Finally she extracted a crumpled pack of American Spirit cigarettes from her back pocket.

She worked her index finger into the crushed paper pack vainly seeking any remaining smokes. She shook the expanded pack out producing a little shower of crushed tobacco and paper fragments which descended to the floor like dirty snow flakes

Rock quickly reached into his breast pocket withdrawing a pack of Lucky Strikes. He tapped the pack against the back of his free hand, taking one for himself and then extending another to Revy.

Revy's head tilted slowly, almost painfully back until her black eyes met his.

Rock froze, his shoulders tightening. Had Revy been wearing her cutlasses he would have instinctively bolted for the door.

Not taking her eyes from his, she slowly extracted the cigarette. Then, without moving in any other way flicked it from her hand into the sink.

Placing both hands on the table, she levered herself to a standing position and walked carefully over to her bed, opening the night stand and pulling out a case of American Spirits. She removed one soft pack, tore off the wrapper and placed one between her lips.

Lighting it she looked at Sister Ruby. "How is that coffee coming?"

"Just a few more minutes Ms. Revy," she said while filling the Mr. Coffee with fresh grounds.

Taking a deep puff, Revy walked over to Rock. He still stood there, his own unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. She came so close her lit cigarette end was only a millimeter or two away from the end of his. But rather than lighting it, she blew the smoke from her lungs disdainfully into his face.

They stood there for another few seconds, a standoff of sorts. Then Revy looked away and moved back down to the table. Ruby was setting two places, one for her and one for Revy, studiously ignoring their interplay.

As Ruby turned to reach for some glasses on the sink, she bumped into Rock. Clumsily her hands went around under his arms, almost an embrace. She pulled back, flushed with embarrassment . "I apologize Mr. Okajima," she said sidestepping him. Rock simply stood there, frozen.

When she recovered she put the glasses down in front of Revy. Revy said, "Don't forget the Bacardi this time sister. You may be my nurse maid, but I'll shove the bottle up your fucking ass if you try to keep it hidden."

Rock finally reacted, cringing at the tone, his eyes going over to Ruby, but she seemed to take it in stride. Calmly she pulled a half filled bottle from the small set of cabinets above the sink, and sat it down by Revy's hand.

As he watched Revy pour herself a healthy shot of rum, Rock realized there was nothing to be gained by standing there any longer. Revy's complete disregard for his presence was message enough.

Back in his apartment, the memory of the event still hurt. Trying to distract himself he began wondering if he could switch the company books onto a computer. Maybe Benny would help, besides, the smell of paper, slightly moldy due to the humidity was beginning to bother him.

His shoulder was still aching from where Revy had bitten him. He had cleaned it thoroughly with some 151 when he had gotten home, but he knew the pain of the bruising would last for a while. The confused state of his mind would probably last even longer.

He slowly brushed his hand against the cover and closed the ledger. Trying to stretch out the kinks he leaned back in the old wooden chair, wondering how it had come to this. All his dreams, all his carefully laid plans, now in fucking ruins because he had been shocked by Revy's hyper aggressive sexuality.

"Damn it" he snapped out loud to the empty room, throwing his pencil at the far wall. How could he have been so blind. He knew Revy well enough, he was obsessed with watching her perform her murderous Bon Odori. He should have known she would be like that in bed. What had he been expecting, some gentle geisha plucking a shamisen?

A loud banging made Rock jump from his chair. His broken fantasies interrupted, he scanned the room. It took him a second to realize someone was rapping at his door. He rubbed his eyes and moved slowly beside it. He was no gunman, but his time in Roanapur had taught him some caution. Before opening the door he looked carefully through the peep hole. All he could see was the person's back. It was a blond haired woman, dressed in stylish light raincoat. The kind of expensive clothes you didn't see much in this part of town, or almost any part of Roanapur for that matter.

When the woman turned to rap on the door again, he immediately recognized the rose tinted glasses if not totally the face behind them.

He quickly pulled the bolt and opened the door.

"Eda..." he began.

"It's about time Rock, I've been standing out there in the drizzle for a while. Hope I didn't wake you up." She paused, looking him up and down.

Suddenly he felt intensely uncomfortable. His clothes were rumpled and sweat stained from a long day of work. The humidity had them clinging to him in all sorts of uncomfortable ways. Eda on the other hand...

She walked past him, not waiting for an invitation. As she removed the raincoat and threw it over the coat hanger by the door, he couldn't help but notice how different she looked. Gone was the usual nuns habit. Given the time of night he would have expected a mini skirt and tank top with some provocative phrase like 'Lets Do It' or "Save a Virgin - Do Me Instead".

This time Eda was wearing an expensive looking loose silk Hermes blouse, matching skirt and soft leather pumps. Reflexively, he began taking in the minute details, reacting like the skilled negotiator he was. Her makeup was light, accentuating her perfect cheek bones and soft pillow lips. So unlike her usual 'apply with trowel' approach. Everything s said he was looking at an upper level western executive going out for an expensive evening, not the top hit woman for one of Roanapur's key powers.

He could only stand there in stunned silence.

Eda smiled, perhaps she was just happy or perhaps she enjoyed his discomfort. Regardless, the smile seemed more genuine than most he saw in Roanapur. It was definitively not her normal empty headed grin or the calculating smile she got when planning some wild scheme to make money. This was a something else.

Here Rock," she said handing him an oblong box. I saw you outside the Yellow flag today, you look like you could use a _decent_ drink.

The way she said decent made Rock think there was something inside the package besides the usual crappy scotch she drank.

Before he could say anything Eda pushed further past him. His eyes noticed that even her walk had changed. Gone were the sashaying hips. scissoring legs and come fuck me heels, instead, she looked both elegant and fully relaxed. A woman confident in any surroundings.

She surveyed the small room, seemingly satisfied with the almost obsessive neatness and cleanliness. "Well," she asked, "are you going to open it?"

Popping of the top he slowly extracted the bottle. The label read "The Macallan" followed by lots of small print and the number 25 in large red letters. Rock figured he was holding about a week's salary in his hands.

'Wow Eda,' he said quietly, trying to smile. "Thanks, but..."

"It's nothing Rock, but I figured we should celebrate being alive. Even for Roanapur this has been a helluva month."

"Sure, let me get some glasses," he said, trying to cover his confusion and figure out just what was going on. Even Eda's tone was different. The cadence of her speech was slower, more measured, more polished.

When he turned back Eda had already taken over his chair and put one ankle up on his bed. She gently rubbed that leg and he remembered that was where she had taken the gunshot wound. With no other chair, he sat down on the bed near her, handing her the glass and letting the rims ring together in salute.

"To being alive," Eda said savoring a sip of the fine scotch.

Rock sipped deeply, impressed by the quality, but his heart was not in it. "What is it you really want Eda?' he asked.

She said nothing for a moment, sipping the amber liquid and simply staring at him. Finally she said, "Straight to business, like always Rock. Alright then, I need allies. Changes are coming to Roanapur and with change comes opportunity. Your no fool, you see that."

Despite his depression, Rock was curious. "What kind of changes Eda?"

"The bloody kind, the kind that always happens here in Roanapur," she replied.

"But why now, things have been quiet for the most part, especially since the maids left"

"Come on Rock. This Network, this truce that keeps the peace with the major powers, its unnatural, like a sunny day in the middle of monsoon season. It can't last. The pressure has to be relieved and that means opportunity for the well prepared."

He paused, thoughtfully. "I don't agree. When gunfire starts around here is does nothing but kill the innocent. To be well prepared means being willing to stop the bloodshed or at least limit it."

"That sounds like the kind of crap I'd hear at a Live Aid concert. That's your problem Rock," Eda replied, her face moving to within inches of his. "You think there are innocents here, but there aren't, just different kinds of monsters. The bigger, smarter ones feed on the weaker ones, Darwin at his best."

"I don't believe that Eda, we may be gangsters, but we can still live by some kind of code."

"I didn't say we were psychopaths Rock. Were not like the cartel or the mafia, willing to kill someone just for the pleasure of watching them wallow in their own guts. Or like Sawyer, someone who see's everyone else as if there just another job to be dismembered. But were not heroes either, firing only silver bullets aimed to kill some evil Oni."

Rock recoiled from those last words.

Eda continued, "Were just the smart ones, the ones who know what they _desire_." Her words gained intensity at that last part. She paused and then added as if for his sake, "We can also make some of those big scores I hear you talking about, maybe even make things a little less bloody."

Rock began to notice the sapphire blue of Eda's eyes, so close to his. He hadn't noticed her hand move onto his thigh, but the heat was feverish through his thin trousers. He leaned back from her, trying to gain a little space to think, taking another deep swallow of the smoky scotch.

As he set the empty glass aside, Eda leaned in closer and Rock became still. Her lips were inches from his ear, whispering, sensuous.

"We can help each other Rock. You know so much of what goes on here, sources the Church...that I don't have access to. With that I can rearrange certain things, make things happen that would benefit us both."

The lips brushing against his face were sending welcome tingles down his spine. Fatigue and alcohol were clouding his thoughts. Then a picture of Revy flashed into his mind, making him stiffen.

As if she had read his thoughts Eda said "Don't worry Rock, I'm not trying to take you away from Revy. I know what she means to you. In fact, I can help you win her over if you like. Assuming you ask...politely." As she spoke she shifted out of the chair and onto the bed beside him. Her hand moved up from his thigh, exploring. Her now silent lips continuing to send waves of pleasure through his body.

He was too tired, too frustrated and too much in need of human companionship to even want to struggle. Memories of the how silky Eda's flawless skin had felt in that closet a week ago drove thoughts of Revy from his mind. A critical part of his anatomy made it clear it didn't care if this was Eda or Revy. But it was her lips, those soft gentle lips that crushed his last defenses. They were skimming sweetly over his skin with a gentle undemanding passion that he just wanted to surrender to.

His hands tightly grasped her shoulders. Pushing her back for a moment he ran his tongue slowly up her throat as he had in the closet not so long ago. He paused saying, "You mean ask like this?"

Eda shuddered in pleasure, saying nothing but reaching for the nearby light switch, plunging them into darkness.

When Rock opened his eyes hours later, he could see feeble rays of sunlight breaking through the dark monsoon clouds. It looked like the incessant rain might finally be taking a short break. He heard Eda moving around in the small bathroom at the far end of his tiny apartment. When she stepped out she was fully clothed and pinning up her long blond tresses.

"How are you feeling Rock?" she asked with a warm smile

He worked himself in into a sitting position against the headboard and pausing, he considered. Their session had lasted nearly two hours before exhaustion claimed him. He was no Don Juan, encounters for unmarried salarymen at his level were few and far between. Eda was a much more experienced lover and she had used all of that skill to bring him a level of pleasure he had never felt in his short life. He was no fool though. This was not a casual encounter between friends, it was something else, exactly what he wasn't sure. He felt conflicted yet relaxed beyond all belief so, despite his doubts he had to smile back.

"I'm feeling good Eda." Then he paused," So what now?"

Eda's smile was thoughtful. "Don't worry Rock, I didn't come her last night to propose marriage. But we could make a good team you and I. Besides, I still owe you for saving my life."

Sensing an unspoken offer he replied "Eda, I work for Dutch, that's not going to change anytime soon."

"And I work for Yolanda, that doesn't mean we can't help each other."

"What do you mean 'help each other' ."

She sat down on the edge bed, meeting his eyes, her face serious. "That's up to you Rock, but for my part Revy leaps to mind. You've got to realize, she's no broken angel, waiting for some knight to rescue her from this hell hole"

Rock just grimaced.

Eda continued, "She's more like a vicious fire breathing dragon, with a hurt wing and one pissed off attitude. You won't win her with a Hallmark card and flowers. You need to understand her and what drives her. If I were you, I would ask a certain Rowan Pigeon for his tape collection on Revy."

The confusion was obvious on his face. Eda sat silently beside him for a few moments, giving him time to process the import of her words.

'You may not like what you find out Rock. There's a blackness in Revy that you don't understand yet. But if you're willing to embrace that, there might be hope for both of you."

The she leaned over and brushed his forehead with her lips. Standing she moved over to the door and started to unlatch it.

"Eda"

She kept her face towards the door but stopped. "Yes Rock?'

"Three days from now Julio, one of the cartel lieutenants, is going to be making a delivery at the Yellow Flag. I heard Abrego talking about it the last time we did a job for him. It's an _important_ delivery."

Eda didn't say a word, but she looked back at him and smiled for a moment. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, it was that look she got when she was planning some wild scheme. Then she sauntered out of his apartment, legs scissoring in a sexy, come hither manner he was more used to.

Rock clasped his hands behind his head, hopeful again. Revy might be a dragon, but his people had a long history with those beasts. They both revered them and loved them. Whatever this darkness was that Eda mentioned, Rock knew he would find a way to handle it.

**

* * *

**

**Three Days Later**

Dutch leaned back in his chair, his smile beaming. "Well I'll be damned. Hallelujah Rock, nice job.". He kicked his feet up on his desk and looked over at Benny and Revy. "Looks like it was a good month so what say we all head over to the Yellow Flag to celebrate?"

Rock was smiling. It had taken longer than he had thought, but he had rearranged the company's finances and freed up some cash flow to repair the Lagoon.

"Hell yes," Benny replied." Got my upgrades done and Jane isn't online tonight."

"What about you Revy? If you keep cleaning those cutlasses you'll wear out the barrels."

Revy sat cross legged on the floor, one partially stripped down cutlass spread across some old newspaper. She was running a dark oily rag across the slide of its twin. "Fuck you Dutch, got to keep my babies clean," she said, holding one bright chrome plated barrel up to the light. She swept it past her lips, imitating a loving kiss but not quite touching the barrel or marring the thin sheen of gun oil.

"It's settled then. First rounds on me," Dutch said standing up.

"Fuckin A," Revy smiled, "but you sure how good those books are? Maybe Rocks skimming a little off the side. " Some venom crept into her voice as she quickly finished her work.

Rock gave a weak smile but refused to engage. " I'll catch up in a bit. I just need to finish a few things."

Dutch let out a quiet sigh. Revy had been taking way more shots at Rock then usual when she wasn't ignoring him completely. Dutch didn't know and he didn't care as long as Revy kept her cutlasses holstered.

"It's settled then," Dutch said leading Revy and Benny out the door. As Revy passed by Rock, her shoulder dipped in a gesture to shove him aside, but Rock, half expecting it, stepped out of the way. They had played this game before and he wasn't interested in a confrontation with her. At least not yet.

Revy let out a 'humph' under her breath when she missed.

30 minutes later Rock reached the Yellow Flag but instead of entering he stopped maybe 20 yards away in the stoop next door. He wanted to watch for a little while. The usual crowd of low level hitters from the cartel and mafia wandered in and out along with a smattering of the freelancers who represented the lower rungs of the food chain in Roanapur. The raucous crowd was typical for this kind of night. The rains had let up for a while and people needed to blow off steam. Hell, he even spotted a run down looking Thai hooker wearing dark sunglasses and a torn, filthy cheongsam. At least he assumed she was a hooker, she looked thin and flat-chested compared to the Yellow Flag's usual providers. She was leaning weakly against a pole outside the Yellow Flag, almost like she was drunk or high. He was surprised, she couldn't have been there long or Madame Flora would have run her off.

If he looked carefully, he thought he make out Dutch, Revy and Benny toasting each other at the bar. He was looking forward to joining, them. It had been a good month for the Lagoon Company overall and he took pride in that. Besides, maybe a few drinks together would help Revy calm down. It was too bad Boa didn't serve noodles as well.

On the other hand he was still reviewing the tapes that Rowan has rented to him. The disgusting smile on Pigeon's face when Rock has asked to see them still bothered him. 'Well new guy," he had said, "that is some primo shit your asking to see. I don't rent this stuff out to just anyone." He grinned conspiratorially and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Revy would kill me if she knew I even had them, but I suppose for a man like you, I could make an exception."

Rock forced his thoughts away from those tapes and back to the matter at hand. His information had led him to believe Julio, the cartel lieutenant, would be making his drop off shortly. Rock was curious to see if anything would happen. His instincts told him if Eda was going to make a move, it would probably be here and his obsessive need to control things meant he had to see it go down.

His patience was rewarded when after about 15 minutes a limo pulled in front of the Yellow Flag. Two cartel gunmen leaped out, flanking the passenger door, both conspicuously displaying Uzi's. Rock shook his head, typical Cartel, brute force over subtlety every time. Maybe they should rent space over Bao's Yellow Flag sign and announce, "Big cartel deal going down now."

It was hard to see all the details from his angle, but a man wearing a flashy white suit and multihued shirt stepped out between them. He was carrying a large satchel and had an enormous revolver tucked into the waist of his trousers.

"That must be Julio," Rock thought.

As the gunmen began going up the short steps the Thai hooker stumbled towards the nearest, trying to proposition him. The man looked disgusted and started to push her away. When they touched, he seemed to stumble and then sat down hard on the steps.

The next few motions were so fast Rock could barely follow them. The hooker took two quick steps until she stood toe to toe with the man Rock assumed was Julio. There was a flash of bright steel and he could see Julio freeze, one hand slipping off his gun handle, the other nervelessly dropping the satchel.

The final cartel gunman, recognizing the threat, was trying to line up his Uzi on the hooker turned hit woman. She was already too far ahead of him. She took a tight turning step around Julio, one arm locking around his throat, the other pushing his hand out of the way and pulling the large revolver from his pants.

The cartel gunman, realizing he couldn't protect both himself and Julio, hesitated a split second, before self preservation won out. He tried frantically to squeeze off a shot, but the woman put a bullet squarely into his face.

The man's fingers clutched convulsively as he fell and the Uzi began firing wildly, spraying the Yellow Flag and shattering the front window.

Some bystanders were beginning to scream and run, but Rock could identify the more experienced Roanapur hands, they were diving for cover, flipping over tables and beginning to pull out an impressive array of hardware.

The woman ignored them. She let go of Julio, whose fancy shirt was turning dark with blood, a knife handle protruding from under his ribs. As he crumpled she calmly picked up the satchel and began walking around the front of the limo to the driver's side. The driver was opening his door, trying to stand up and draw an AK-47 from the seat beside him. The woman has selected her approach flawlessly. Trying to bring the long rifle to bear, the driver became entangled in the close quarters and couldn't move fast enough. From barely a yard away the black haired woman calmly put a large caliber pistol round through his forehead, knocking him backward and spraying everything, including her face, with blood.

By now the patrons of the Yellow Flag had begun to understand what was going on. Rock could see Gustavo and some of his men springing up from the ground, weapons searching for targets. Other patrons, out of reflex, or fear of being next, began to put their heads up and point their weapons at the limo and the woman.

The woman was totally unfazed by all the firepower being leveled in her direction. Dropping the revolver and reaching under the long slit of her dress, she jerked out a small oblong object , brought it up to her mouth and jerked hard. Rock could see a shiny metal pin fly out and the woman made a casual arcing throw through the bar's shattered window.

Rock was close enough to hear Revy's voice clearly.

GRENADE!

At this point everyone in the bar began diving for cover again.

For maybe two seconds nothing happened as the woman calmly sat down in the driver's seat and started the engine.

Then there was a blast of smoke and flame from inside the Yellow Flag and Rock staggered from the concussion. As he regained his balance he could only think of one thing….Revy.

As he broke into a run the limo unexpectedly swerved in front of him and he almost crashed into the driver's side door. The window was down and he could see the woman's face, the drivers blood dripping from her sunglasses like tears. As time seemed to stop he wondered where she had gotten the small, strange looking pistol, which was pointed straight at him.

He hardly saw any flash, but then a battering ram hit him in the right side forcing him to take two steps back. He looked down to see a small but rapidly blossoming crimson flower appear on his chest.

Suddenly he felt so tired. "Maybe," he thought, " if I just sit down and wait Revy would come to get me like she always does." It was his last thought before the blackness took over.

* * *

_A/N - Some references, rely on the BL light novel by Gen Urobuchi as cannon. I recommend Anonspore for some good reading._

_Thanks for the reviews and hope this chapter was worth it despite the length._


	11. Fulfillment

A/N Thanks again to Amigo for editing and his suggestions to improve. Almost done now.

* * *

"SHOOT THAT BASTARD YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT", Gustavo gestured with his pistol as he screamed at one of his men.

The man Gustavo was pointing to had jumped out from behind the street corner and sprayed half a clip of M-16 fire in their direction. They had trapped five of the wops in a blind alley after a running battle down the side streets of Roanapur. "Abrego, where are those two technicals," he demanded speaking into the handheld radio.

Between the static and the gunfire, he could barely make out the reply. He was forced to duck when a few well aimed rounds sprayed him with concrete fragments from a wall nearby.

"Ssssss...we got caught on Silom road. One of the bastards got lucky and shot out our tires. We fucked him good but 'it's taking time to fix. Give us 15 minutes," Abrego answered urgently.

"You be here in five or I'll do to you what that little maid did to Jose, understand!" There was no reply only static. Gustavo was counting on the technical's heavy machine guns to crush the Mafiosi before they could get their shit together.

When Julio had gotten hit outside the Yellow Flag it had taken a few hours for Gustavo to find out who had done it. What kind of Thai piece of shit, let alone a woman would have the balls to take on the Cartel...IN ROANAPUR. Then he got a lucky break. One of his people, recognized the description. There was a free lance Thai woman named 'One Plait' who had worked as hitter before in Roanapur. The last time was about a year ago, but there couldn't be too many of these fucking rice eaters capable enough to gut his men like fish.

Intel said when she had worked in Roanapur it had been for Verrocchio. He was dead, killed by those psycho twins, but every gang liked to stick with people they trusted. Besides, the Mafia were cowards, they liked to hide behind others when they could.

Those dumb Sicilian bastards must have thought he would never figure it out. To them it was probably a quick, profitable hit. One they thought couldn't be traced back to them and another way they could fuck with a competitor. Unfortunately for them, Gustavo had figured it out and now it was war. He was hoping those Mafia bastards just thought they had stolen money. There was no way they could know about the other package, but he had to get it back before Jefe Pasturia found out.

The wop's gunfire was dying out. They were either dead or running out of ammo. Technicals or not, it was time to end it.

"Amigos," he yelled to his men breaking into a slow run, "time to kill these pigs."

His men stood up pouring fire down the alley as they followed him.

* * *

The Thai woman known as 'One Plait' slipped into a safe house nearly 100km from the current battle. She had quickly changed cars and clothing twice at prearranged drop spots, making sure she wasn't followed.

She locked the door behind her and leaned back against it. Feeling the uncomfortable, but familiar rush of adrenalin and combat stress dropping from her shoulders, she slipped the satchel of cash off her arm. It slid carelessly onto the floor, spilling out stacks of cash.

"First things first," she thought heading for the bathroom. She rummaged under the counter and found some clean cloths. Reaching above she pulled the pins holding the long black wig tightly to her scalp. She lost some of her own hair when she yanked off the nylon netting, but the urge to scratch her scalp was overwhelming.

"Damn," she said as she threw the wig to the floor like it was some disgusting creature. "I can believe people wear these things voluntarily."

She spent a few luxurious seconds gently scratching and massaging her scalp. Then she leaned forward into the mirror, looking carefully for the latex seam near her hair line. Using her one long nail she pulled until it peeled away like paint. Next came the appliances from inside her nostrils and mouth. Using warm water she was able to loosen the glue and pull out the latex pads that had given her face a more broadened appearance. Dark brown contacts followed, allowing her true eye color to show.

She leaned over and turned on the shower, leaving it cold, cold enough to numb what was coming next.

Stripping out of her blouse and jeans she reached for the edge of the elastic bandage wrapped around her chest. It swathed her from the bottom of her ribs to just below her armpits. Slowly she unwrapped it, layer by layer freeing her severely compressed breasts. As blood flow returned she bit her lip hard, thumping one fist against the sink over and over again.

'Shit that hurts' Eda said through gritted teeth as she stepped into the shower.

The cold water helped numb the pins and needles sensation, but after most of a day compressing her usual E-cups into B-cups it was still intense. For the first time in her life she was pissed that her breasts were so large. Still, it couldn't be helped. The real 'One Plait' was currently spending the rest of her life in a secret CIA prison. She had been caught months ago working for Muslim separatists by a CIA black ops team. When Eda had been looking for a cover she had seemed ideal. She was known in the area, worked for the Mafia upon occasion and had a 'generally' similar build.

There was a few inches difference in height and a little weight, but that could be disguised so even trained observers would miss it. The rest, hair, skin color and facial features could all be adjusted for.

Without cameras, and she had made sure there were none, even intelligence analysts would be forced to rely on clues like the style of the operation, general appearance, history and other things to identify the culprit. Eda should know, it was part of how she made her living.

As long as her appearance and modus operandi were a good general match it would work. However, by comparison One Plait was flat chested and Eda was anything but. Given the number of male observers, that was one detail they were unlikely to overlook.

After the pain finally dulled, Eda turned on the hot water and finished removing the skin coloring, latex and other makeup.

Three quarters of an hour later she was laying on the bed wearing a thick bath robe and slowly counting the money. All fresh, crisp, out of sequence Franklins. Almost half a mil, but she quickly pushed that to the side. Her fingers slowly probed the satchel lining and she found the hard package she was looking for.

Using a switchblade she cut the thin steel CD case free. Once she broke the encryption, this would have Levencroft and Yolanda singing her praises for months.

After Rock gave her that little tip she had done research of her own. Transfers of money like this were common in Roanapur, but Rock mentioned this was something big. As it turned out the Cartel frequently coordinated their operations with the FARC. Neither side trusted the other much, but at some level they had to share operational planning. With this, the CIA could disrupt not just the cocaine traffic, but FARC's military operations for the next three or four months.

Plus, there was the side benefit of a small war between the Cartel and the Mafia. Once it burned out, both would be taken down a notch, both would be seeking new weapons from the Church and both would need allies. All situations she could exploit.

Eda threw her head back against the pillows and for a moment repeatedly banged her fists and heels into the soft mattress, thrashing like a young girl. She was bouncing on the bed in pure joy. Her first completely independent job had gone of almost perfectly.

After a second, she stopped and lit another coffin nail. Taking a deep drag she thought almost wasn't the same as perfect and her self-satisfied smile faded. Rock was the one part of the operation that was still unfinished. She had to make sure that loose end was permanently tied up. If anyone could lead the Cartel to her it would be him.

She would head back to Roanapur in the night and reestablish her alibi at the Church. As far as anybody knew, she was still resting and recovering from her wounds. Then she could head over to the hospital if necessary and finish things. She had fired at Rock under less than perfect conditions. She wasn't sure if he would be in the hospital or somewhere else. Either way she had to find out.

* * *

Revy was blindly staring straight ahead at the white wall. Like most things in this city it was scuffed, dirty and the paint was peeling. Layer after layer of old paint seemed to hold some intense fascination for her.

She ignored the constant rush of gurney's carrying wounded Mafia and Cartel gunmen and the statacco orders flying between doctors and nurses desperately trying to plug the bullet holes in their patients bodies.

Dutch sat next to Revy, trying to let the action distract him. Sitting in the hospital waiting room had him deeply worried. Revy had the stare, the almost reptilian look she got just before she started to shoot at everything living, innocent or guilty. There was none of the savage joy, the gleeful smile she got when fighting with and for her comrades. It was just the stare.

"Excuse me, but are you..." The man in green surgical scrubs stopped cold a few feet away when he saw Revy. Dutch figured it must be the cutlasses, but in her current mood he couldn't force her to hide them. Even in Roanapur, most gangsters concealed their weapons in the hospital. It was neutral ground. No one wanted to start shooting here since they all relied on the facility. Even Hotel Moscow didn't carry guns openly here.

Dutch stood up, interposing himself between the surgeon and Revy.

"How is he doctor?"

For a moment the doctor seemed hypnotized by Revy, but he shook himself and continued shakily "All things considered, not too bad. He lost a lot of blood, but he's stable and should be ready for visitors soon. "

"Shit, that's the best news I've heard all night," Dutch replied breathing a sigh of relief. He happily slapped the doctor on the shoulder, staggering him. Then he glanced back at Revy.

She hadn't budged an inch, nor had the stare changed.

The doctor continued, "Your friend is a very lucky man. The bullet must have deflected off his ribs. I treat a lot of gunshot wounds here and I would have expected a lot more penetration at close range. If a small fragment hadn't nicked the aorta he might have walked away with little more than powder burns and a nasty scar."

"When?' Revy voice sounded hoarse.

Dutch turned towards her as the doctor replied, his voice beginning to tremor noticeably, "I'm sorry miss?"

"When can I see him?" the words grated out slowly, like nails on a chalk board.

"He's in room 232. If you give the nurses a few minutes they'll finish cleaning him up..."

Revy ignored him as she marched towards the stairs.

"Revy..." Dutch rumbled.

She didn't slow down, just flipped him a one finger salute as she turned the corner.

Dutch heard a thudding sound and spun around. Sitting on the floor with his legs thrown out was the doctor he had just been talking to. His eyes were wide and he was shaking uncontrollably.

"Doc, you okay?" Dutch asked confused.

"Will she shoot anyone?" his voice was quavering.

"Oh….you know about Revy Doc?"

The doctor looked at him, eyes wide, "are you crazy, of course I know about Two Hand. Half the staff left the building when she showed up in Emergency"

Dutch was sure he was exaggerating, but he had seen more than a few people head the other way as soon as they saw Revy.

"Do ...do you know how many death certificates I've signed because of her?" the doctor seemed to keep swallowing convulsively. "We use 'Two-Hand' as the official cause of death. It's easier than trying to figure out which bullet hole actually killed the victim."

Dutch smiled, impressed in spite of himself. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how good Revy was.

Flashing an even wider grin he said, "Well Doc, just be glad Rock made it, this way no one is zipping you into a body bag today."

* * *

Slowly, Rock emerged from the darkness. Everything around him seemed soft and blurry. He tried to move his head but nothing seemed to work. Even blinking his eyes seemed difficult.

As feeling returned, his chest hurt like hell, even shallow breaths were hard. He wanted to move but there was some kind of weight on his abdomen, holding him in place. His throat was dry and sore.

"Water," he managed to croak.

Suddenly the weight on his stomach shifted.

He lifted his head slightly and looked down. His eyes met Revy's. Hers were bloodshot, rimmed with sleep as if she had just woken up.

"Revy..."

"Shut the fuck up Rock," she said, her voice quaking with fatigue and suppressed rage, but she reached over and lifted a cup with a straw to his lips. He was barely able to suck down a few drops before she jerked it away.

"You and your fucking pride Rock. You had to do it didn't you?"

Rock just stared at her confused.

"First you treat me like shit." Revy's voice was rising.

"Then you do something stupid in front of the Yellow Flag." Her hands had moved onto the hilts of her cutlasses.

"But..." Rock tried to gasp out.

Revy's hands moved faster than thought. The black holes of both barrels were millimeters from his face.

"Don't fucking lie to me Rock. I know you were up to something." Revy was almost screaming.

Rock could see hospital staff scattering in the hall.

"I WON'T STAND FOR IT."

For a few seconds Rock just stared at the barrels as they began to shake. Then before he realized it Revy's arms were around his neck. He grunted in pain, but she seemed not to notice.

"I won't fucking stand for it Rock," she whispered, her lips buried in his shoulder.

Words jarred in Rocks' memory, "What a shitty day."

Her shoulders shook, whether in laughter or tears Rock wasn't sure. She held him like that for a few minutes.

Then she stood, holstering the Berettas and grabbing a handful of tissues from a dispenser by his bed. She wiped harshly at her face and marched towards the door without another word.

As she turned the corner, Rock heard someone exclaim, "Fuck, what a stench, did something die in here?"

"Fuck off bitch," he heard Revy snap back.

A second later, "Damn, is that you Revy? Can't you take a shower bitch."

Revy didn't reply but he heard her heavy boots clacking on the tile floor as she moved away.

As Eda's wimple appeared in the doorway, Rock's heart was racing. He started wondering if there was a nurse call button nearby.

As his eyes looked around wildly, Eda pulled the chair Revy had been using closer and leaned forward, to within inches of his face.

"Easy, easy there Rocky boy. Little ole Aunt Eda isn't here to kill you, "she said whispering in a soothing way.

"You...shot...me," Rock gasped out, wincing as every breath making his right side flame with pain.

"Shhhh...," she shushed him, one hand gently stroking his head, the other reaching into a pocket.

"Damn, I knew you'd figure it out." There was a note of admiration in her tone. "But if I wanted you dead, your brains would have been scattered all over the Yellow Flag's steps." Her voice had changed, no longer Eda the wild killer nun, this was Eda the business woman, the one he had seen in his apartment a few nights ago.

"But how," he asked, trying to breath shallowly, hoping he pain would stop.

"It was a frangible round Rock." Seeing the lack of comprehension on his face she continued. "Specially designed, it breaks up on impact. This one had a low velocity charge and only 20% metal content, the rest was a low density, water soluble plastic. Short of putting it in your eye, all it will do is bruise you up pretty bad and make you bleed some. Though to anybody but a specialist forensics team, it looks like someone tried to kill you."

"I ...almost died,' he whispered, eyes narrowing as anger overrode the pain.

Eda looked around sheepishly before leaning in again. "Yeah, well about that, every now and then a fragment might hit something...vital. I am really sorry, but here, this should make it up to you."

She finished pulling a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and slipped it into his hand. Rock tried to open it and hold it up, but his fingers felt like he was wearing mittens.

"Here, let me," Eda held it up close to his face. There were two alpha numeric sequences, one above the other followed by a phone number.

"The top is the account number, the bottom the password. There's fifty Gs in there. Think of it as a taste of things to come," she said with a sly smile.

"Still don't understand," Rock replied.

"We both needed cover Rock. Eventually even those assholes Abrego and Gustavo might figure out they got fucked with. Right now I set up our friends the Sicilians to take the fall, but if that doesn't work I needed a cutout. Who would suspect you after some killer Thai hooker tried to do you in for being a witness? Besides, I still had to make good on my part of the bargain."

Rock was still confused, "What part of the bargain."

Eda smiled indulgently as she continued to stroke his hair. "The painkillers must really be numbing you out. You've been asleep for nearly three days. Revy hasn't left you side for anything, not food, not sleep and," she paused theatrically, crinkling her nose and waving one hand in front of her face, "not to take a shower."

Rock's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned.

She continued, "Those tapes I suggested might help you work out a few...ahem... bedroom issues, but they're not the core of the problem. She needed something to make her realize how much she needs you. I just needed a way to show her that. As a matter of fact, it was probably a good thing that round did so much damage."

Looking into her eyes, seeing the pupils widen, Rock was sure Eda was lying through her teeth on the last part

"I have to go Rock. Take things slow with Revy, she's never had someone this close to her before, at least that I know of. She might be a little unpredictable at first." Then back in her normal, louder Eda voice, "Besides, deep down she's a bitch with worst case of PMS known to man."

Rock watched Eda walk out. As she left, one of the Thai nurses snuck out from around the corner. She pulled back his blankets and began inspecting his bandages. Even as she fussed she kept looking around like a frightened rabbit. Almost as if she expected Revy or Eda to return any minute.

As he lay there Rock realized that although his plans hadn't exactly worked out the way he wanted, they had still worked out. Whether we was the phony magic trick the small maid accused him of being remained to be seen, but his happiness about Revy made it seem not to matter.

After the nurse was finished she injected something into his IV line. He could feel the soothing warmth entering his arm and relaxing his whole body. As sleep claimed him, his thoughts were filled with a vision of Revy in his arms, but in the background he could see Eda watching him and her eyes were hungry.

* * *

_A/N A reader whom has given me great feedback in the past recently suggested I like Eda and that I seem to spend a lot of time in my stories describing her flawless, creamy, leggy, gorgeous, statuesque...ahem, sorry got carried away (author pauses to close mouth and wipe off drool). Well, guilty as charged, but it is not because of her physical appearance, seriously. (although kudos to Rei's artwork). It is because she would have to have one of the most convoluted personalities possible to survive in Roanapur. She thinks of herself as a patriotic American. She has to be well educated since CIA field agents tend to be. She is beautiful, sophisticated and spends most of her time dressed as a gum chewing nun with a gun or a nymphomaniac in the Yellow Flag. She is in constant internal conflict more than any other character I see. Her capability for mayhem is substantial. Don't know if everyone caught it, but she went head to head with Roberta on the plane and not only seemed to hold her own, but arguably held the upper hand. Yet she hesitated to shoot the twins. I don't see how her psyche could be anything but crumbling. Ms. Glock is just my way of explaining how she stays functional, not sane, but functional. That is why I find her such an interesting character._


	12. Behind the Curtain

_A/N Many thanks to the readers and reviewers. Special thanks to Unkeptsecret and Amigodude for editing work. Also special thanks to Unkept, Amigo and JAS for her encouragement to a new writer._

* * *

**Epilogue**

The monsoons were finally beginning to pass and the pure kinetic energy of Roanapur was returning in full force. Even from the deck of the Lagoon the everyday noise of the distant markets was easily discernable as buyers and sellers haggled in a millennia old battle over prices. Of course, this being Roanapur, some of the disputes were punctuated by gunfire.

Rock was leaning back in a lawn chair on the Lagoon's deck, sipping a Bacardi and coke. The Bacardi part was not exactly in keeping with the doctor's orders since his release a few days ago, but because Revy had brought it to him, it seemed a good idea to enjoy it. The doctor's orders also meant Dutch had exempted him from any repair work for the next few days.

Rock twisted slightly in the chair, trying to reduce the waves of pain that occasionally emanated from his chest wound. He stared down for a moment at the drink in his hand. It was a reminder that he was still adapting to the new reality of his relationship with Revy.

Some of the changes we subtle, like the way she seemed to find opportunities to brush up against him or run her hand across his forearm when no one else was around. Sometimes he thought he might be imagining it, but then she would do something like find time to bring him a drink unasked, when it was obvious he was in real pain.

Some changes were more obvious. Last night he had actually made it to the Yellow Flag for a brief visit. When Eda showed up in a tight red halter top, black miniskirt, stockings and heels, Revy had started to almost growl. Then when Eda came over, put her hand on his chest and asked him if he was up to any more strenuous activities yet, Revy's hands drew her cutlasses so fast even Dutch had jumped back. Fortunately, Eda had just laughed and moved to another part of the bar, while making some comment about Revy needing to learn to share her toys.

Worrying about Revy finding out he was working with Eda was gnawing at his gut. His nervousness wasn't helped when later he spotted Eda watching him at the bar. She had playfully winked at him, but her smile displayed her canines in an anything but playful manner. Still, nothing big could be accomplished without some risk or so he told himself.

HIs reverie was interrupted by a loud shout. "Revy, where the hell is that new MCM 250 cable I need?" Dutch's voice blasted up from the engine room hatch.

"Hold your fucking horses Dutch, I'm coming," Revy answered. She was walking past Rock carrying a heavy roll of thick black electrical cable on her shoulder. Dutch had promised she wouldn't get off the Lagoon today until he was satisfied the damage she had done was fully repaired.

"Hey Rock, what are you doing tonight?" She paused looking down on him.

Rock looked up, enjoying the way the sunlight framed her black hair. "Why don't you come over to my place tonight. We can share some takeout," he answered hopefully.

The smile she gave him was just like the one he had seen on her face at the movies not too long ago. There was an unguarded happiness to it that he found utterly mesmerizing. Almost as enjoyable to watch as when she went into action against Luac and his crew a lifetime ago.

"REVY MOVE YOUR FUCKING ASS," Dutch's usual baritone rose a notch.

"Ok, let's talk later," Revy replied, as she walked over to the hatch and handed the cable down to Dutch.

Enjoying the way her body moved as she walked and the impressive display of leg from her daisy dukes, Rock doubted there would be much 'talking' tonight. He fervently hoped Revy had the sense not to push his healing body too hard.

He took another sip of his drink and marveled how his plan had worked out this way. He, Revy and Eda had almost been killed, multiple times, yet here he was. Revy was almost his, Eda was now a partner of sorts and he was $50,000 richer than he had been a few weeks ago.

Things were definitely looking up, he thought with a smile to no one in particular.

* * *

"So Ruby, did you finish analyzing the tapes yet?" Yolanda's tone was businesslike and demanding.

The novitiate stood in front of Yolanda's imposing black oak desk, surrounded by the marble, satin and stained glass the Sister loved so much. Ruby kept her eyes respectfully downcast, focused on the cheap worn carpet, so at odds with the opulence of the room. There was a lovely antique chair, but it was pushed to the side. Novitiates didn't sit in the presence of Yolanda, regardless of the circumstances.

Yolanda had designed the room to intimidate those who came to her and to satisfy her own vision of the Church. Directly behind her was a large portrait of Father Richard, the priest who helped her found it. He was pretty far gone when Yolanda had the painting commissioned. His pain filled eyes, bloodshot from advanced alcoholism had a tendency to unnerve people facing her. Flanking Yolanda was Brother Martin, one of the Church's top troubleshooters and a man with a reputation for sudden violence. To cap it off, her Desert Eagle sat gleaming on the desk, its barrel meaningfully pointing in Ruby's direction.

Yolanda also made sure that Ruby, like all of her staff, knew that upon rare occasion, guests had left her office in body bags. Although only if they pissed her off badly enough. That was the reason she didn't waste money on an expensive carpet. Bloodstains were so damned hard to remove.

"Per your orders Sister Yolanda," Ruby replied

"And...," Yolanda prompted.

"It is clear that Sister Eda has developed a working alliance with Mr. Okajima. Her use of her sexuality as well as her ability to manipulate Ms. Revy should be sufficient enticement to allow her some degree of leverage over him." Ruby's tone dripped disdain when she mentioned Revy's name.

"Are you sure Sister Eda and Mr. Okajima won't know they were monitored?" Yolanda's tone indicated a certain level of disbelief.

"Absolutely not, I have reviewed the recordings repeatedly. There was no sign either of them knew they were being taped."

"And the monitoring devices?" Yolanda inquired.

"I used a variety Sister Yolanda, mostly long range camera's and directional mikes as per standard operating procedure. In only one case was it necessary to use a local listening device." Yolanda could see Ruby's eyes light up on this last part. The young were so easily impressed by their own ingenuity she thought.

Ruby continued, " It was easy enough to attach the device when I feigned bumping into him at Ms. Revy's apartment. It is tiny enough and camouflaged so that it went unnoticed. I activated it when I observed Sister Eda entering his apartment the same night.

Yolanda waved her hand dismissively at the technical details. "Leverage hmph. So you think Sister Eda is developing leverage over Mr. Okajima do you?" Her tone that of a teacher preparing to trap a student into error.

Ruby was flustered at the unexpected question. She seemed sure the Sister Yolanda would praise her for a flawless surveillance job.

"Ah... Yes Sister Yolanda. It fits his profile," she said, her voice quavering slightly.

"Ruby, Ruby," Yolanda said tiredly. "There is much more to a man like Mr. Okajima than his file. You did an adequate job concerning the surveillance, but you analysis skills need work. At the next opportunity I will assign you to Brother Martin. Maybe he can teach you something.

She added, one finger reaching up to touch the handle of her Desert Eagle, "You will of course discuss this with no one save myself and Brother Martin."

Ruby was nonplussed, "Yes Sister, but shouldn't I write..."

Yolanda cut her off quietly but firmly. "I have nothing more to say, that will be all novitiate."

As the door closed behind Ruby, Brother Martin asked, "Are you sure this is wise Yolanda? Ruby might discover certain things we don't want known."

"Ha," Yolanda exclaimed with a brief laugh. "You give her too much credit Martin, she is young and inexperienced. Plus Mr. Okajima is showing himself quite skilled at this game. Much more so than I would have thought a year ago."

"Very well Sister, but I have concerns about him as well," Martin replied.

Yolanda looked at Martin, one eyebrow rising questioningly, "Why, has he not provided everything he promised in exchange for our assistance?"

Martin paused for minute, scratching his nose thoughtfully. "Well yes, he did manipulate the Lagoon Company's computer expert into hacking the NSA's mainframe, but don't you think that leaves a trail leading back to us?"

Yolanda leaned back slightly, smiling. "Not really. Benny enjoys showing off his hacking prowess and Rock got him to do it on a bet. The weakness of experts like Benny is that they think they are the only ones smart enough to do such things. The temporary tap Rock helped us install on his T1 line allowed us to copy Benny's methods. Which in turn allowed us to plant the false report on Eda. Since Benny was the one who made the original penetration, any discovery will lead back to him, not us. Besides," she added, "give him credit, even our own experts think it was so perfectly done that it will be untraceable."

"But still..."

"Have a little faith Martin," Yolanda's tone conveyed her exasperation. "When Rock first approached me with his plan , I thought it was highly unlikely to succeed. How could such a neophyte be skilled enough to manipulate both Eda and Revy? Still, with a few modifications it has worked marvelously."

"Marvelously!" Martin couldn't keep the disbelief out of his tone. "The CIA kidnapped Revy instead of Eda and both of them almost got killed, how is that marvelous."

Yolanda glared at him, much in the manner of a raptor examining potential prey. Her fingers began toying with the hilt of her Desert Eagle again, rotating it randomly. Martin shut up instantly.

"As a former soldier you should know better than most that no plan survives first contact with an enemy. Rock improvised well and salvaged the situation. More importantly, you need to focus on the results." Yolanda began ticking them off on her fingers, "First, we now have _full_ access to the CIA's intelligence activities in South East Asia, not the crumbs Levencroft occasionally threw us; Second, Eda is no longer Levencroft's creature, she is mine," Yolanda announced, her voice rising. Then, in a calmer tone she continued, "Whether she realizes it or not, Eda now works for me; Third, we have considerable talents of Mr. Okajima to call upon and all the potential information he could provide and; Finally," she said, pausing and placing a special emphasis on the word, " I may have the protégé I have needed for some time now."

"Of course Sister," replied Martin in a chastised tone.

"Besides, had this gone too badly awry it would have proven neither Rock nor Eda were worthy for future consideration. I would have cut our losses and dealt with them as David dealt with the Philistines."

Martin stared at her, pursing his lips as if had something else to say.

"Spit it out Martin, you know I value your opinion, even if I don't always agree with it."

"Don't you think Eda might be a little unstable to be your protégé, let alone your eventual successor?"

Yolanda laughed out loud, then gave him a genuine smile, one that reached all the way to her sole remaining eye.

"Do you know anyone in this pestilent hell hole that could be remotely described as stable?" she asked, still chuckling. "Even Rock, who by the standards of Roanapur is a _beacon_ of sanity, has developed a mind more convoluted than the Cardinal Richelieu himself. At least I know what demons are driving Eda."

She picked up the .44 and cradled it, one short cracked nail absently tracing the fine scrollwork on the slide. "I know her demon's well, Martin," she repeated, "all too well." Then she adjusted her eye patch, "Hopefully she will learn the necessary lessons with both eyes intact."

Yolanda stood up slowly and deliberately , showing some of her advanced age.

Holstering the pistol within her robes, she snapped in a businesslike tone, "Enough Martin, we need to start planning our next moves. Keeping ahead of Eda and Rock should make for a great game don't you think?"

* * *

_A/N Final thanks to JAS for letting me reference her Genesis story. I hope to follow this up with another Eda centric story in the new year._


End file.
